Innovalight Installs Inkjet System That Prints 2000 Solar Cells Per Hour

[JohnWxy]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/06/innovalight-installs-inkjet-system-that-prints-2000-solar-cells-per-hour?cmpid=WNL-Friday-June12-2009

Innovalight Inc. has installed the world's first high-throughput industrial silicon-ink inkjet printing system at the company's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The printing system was engineered and manufactured by OTB Solar in co-operation with Innovalight.

Current mass manufactured solar cells are almost four times thicker requiring more material and twice as many processing steps to convert into finished solar cells.

Using high precision touch-less inkjet printing of silicon-ink, Innovalight can halve the number of costly manufacturing steps required to produce high efficiency solar cells. In addition, the OTB printing system allows for high volume production of ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells with thicknesses as little as 50 microns. Current mass manufactured solar cells are almost four times thicker requiring more material and twice as many processing steps to convert into finished solar cells.

“In OTB Solar we found a strong partner with experience in both solar industry and inkjet printing technologies, “ said Conrad Burke, CEO of Innovalight. “The OTB Solar team delivered a very sophisticated and powerful solution to Innovalight in record time.”

[ContinentalOp]

1. Soon enough we'll be printing our own solar cells (and other circuits) at home! -nt-

[DJ13]

2. I hope they're not using Canon inkjets, the ink costs would be a killer

[ContinentalOp]

3. LOL, the printer was free though!

[pscot]

4. It better be

You'll be lucky if it lasts a year.

[phantom power]

5. Printing crystalline silicon. Fancy schmancy.

I wonder what efficiencies they're getting.