Shell
Solar supplies next generation solar technology for major Welsh
project
Posted: 24 June 2003
Shell Solar, a global producer and marketer of photovoltaic cells,
panels and systems, announced today that it is to supply 2,400 CIS
(copper, indium, selenium) thin film photovoltaic modules to a major
construction project in St Asaph, North Wales.
The order is the largest yet for the next generation technology
which took Shell Solar more than 15 years of research to develop.
The panels will be installed by Welsh company PV Systems Ltd on
the south-facing main façade of the OpTIC Technium, an innovation
and business support centre for the opto-electronics industry being
constructed by the Welsh Development Agency.
They will provide peak power of 84 kilowatts, enough to supply
60 typical homes. The project is being supported under the United
Kingdom’s Large-Scale Field Trial for Public Buildings, a
Department of Trade and Industry initiative to promote solar power
through its use in government buildings.
CIS thin film is a new way of making a solar cell. Copper, indium
and selenium are applied in minutely-thin layers to glass through
a vacuum process.
This vacuum technique is widely-used for coating window glass but
is relatively new in the solar industry.
The current mainstream crystalline silicon solar technology involves
sawing, chemically etching and baking thin wafers from rods of highly
purified silicon in a high temperature process.
The main benefits of CIS thin film technology are expected far
lower manufacturing costs and a more competitive kilowatt-hour price.
Shell Solar was the first company in the world to begin series
production of CIS solar modules, five years ago in Camarillo, California.
Shell Solar CIS thin film modules offer exceptional performance
in low light, adverse and high temperature environments, making
them ideal for locations where there are changeable weather conditions.
With a uniform appearance, CIS thin film modules are also suitable
for use in projects where aesthetics are an important consideration.
Shell Solar is part of Shell Renewables, a core business of the
Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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