Taiwan solar manufacturers ready for rapid expansion

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Executives from the Taiwan solar industry remain confident about PV cell demand in 2009 and beyond, despite the expiration of the Spain subsidy program, ongoing feedstock shortages and projections of emerging production overcapacity.

Speaking at the PV Power Expo Taiwan, held in conjunction with SEMICON Taiwan, Chi-Yao Tsai, general manager of E-Ton Solar Tech and chairman of the SEMI PV Committee in Taiwan, said that growing worldwide demand will provide a promising future for the Taiwan PV industry, now fourth among world’s cell producers.

With exhibits, business and technical programs, market briefings, international standards meetings, and other events, the inaugural PV Power Expo Taiwan on Sept. 9-11 brought together the key leaders and major companies comprising the growing Taiwan PV supply chain.

In similar fashion to the semiconductor and flat panel display industry, Taiwan has identified PV as a critical industrial sector poised for growth. In thin film technologies, Taiwan already boasts nine producers, projected to increase capacity to 209.5 MW in 2008, up from 27.5 MW in 2007. By 2010, production capacity is expected to rise to 1394 MW (Photovoltaics International).

As part of the event, PV Forums were held on: Industry Deployment, Polysilicon Materials, Thin Films, and Modules for PV Systems.

After giving a comprehensive market overview, Osamu Ikki, President of RTS, gave a promising outlook for Japan’s low carbon policies that include PV utilization rising 10 fold by 2020, 40X by 2040. While Japan Prime Minister Fakuda has recently stepped down, the policy has gained utility and political support and is expected to continue, said Ikki.

Speaking at the Industry Deployment Forum, Gerhard Styri-Hipp gave a detailed policy prescription for renewable energy. He believes that especially at this time, a systematic, long-term approach to public policy is required to ensure steady progress. In addition to giving insights in feed-in tariff policies, Styri-Hipp chided Taiwan for their inadequate support for domestic solar use (new policies are expected this year to spur domestic demand).

“PV is a very attractive market for equipment makers,” said Karsten Iltgen, Solar Analyst at Credit Suisse Securities, speaking before an audience of a 400.

“Especially for the manufacturers who hedge their bets among different technologies and customers, it’s a very nice market.”

Ilgen made a provacative comparison between the DRAM market and PV suggesting that success will be based on scale and manufacturing excellence.

While he admits this is not the conventional opinion, Ilgen believes that the trend toward vertical integration in the industry is “questionable” and that the key to the market will be cost, requiring cost efficiencies at every step in the value chain.

Of particular importance to the Taiwan and the global industry, an Environmental Health Safety (EHS) Workshop for PV was also held and well attended by key manufacturers in the region. Unlike the semiconductor and flat panel display industry, the PV industry is experiencing a rapid, widespread ramp in production comprising hundreds of new manufacturers. Thousands of new workers will be encountering complex and potentially dangerous production environments for the first time and end customers and political supporters are demanding an environmentally responsible industry.

Thin film and crystalline PV production require some of the most toxic, pyrophoric and global warming impact materials on the planet. For example, silane explosions have resulted in numerous fatalities in the semiconductor industry, and SF6 has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) 23,900 times more that CO2. Industry standards, industry education, industry best known practices, advanced abatement and other technologies, and more will all be required to ensure a safe and environmentally responsible industry.

During the EHS Workshop, silane safety procedures, emission abatement strategies, system and facility safety audit requirements, tool and start-up safety procedures, and more were presented.

PV Power Expo Taiwan also included a PV University program to attract university students to the industry and help support education-industry

partnerships, a PV Standards Working Committee to address the global standards effort, a PV Museum, and a PV Solutions Center. Over 70 manufacturers also displayed their products and solutions.

Source: SEMI, USA