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To module
SolarWorld I Production
www.solarworld.com
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Madrid
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Hillsboro
Bonn
Rheinfelden
Grenoble
Salisbury
Madrid
Yokohama
Hillsboro
Camarillo
Singapore
Cape Town
Ras Laffan
Cape Town
Singapore
Bonn headquarters
Freiberg
Foreword
Solar power creates independence. The sun gives us
an unlimited amount of energy, there are no conflicts
over resources and even remote regions can be supplied with energy. The goal of SolarWorld AG is therefore to attain a worldwide, environmentally friendly
and safe energy supply.
We are working on severely reducing the costs for solar power generation in all markets, allowing everyone
to use locally generated solar power and the opportunity for sustainable development.
From the very beginning, we focused on our core business of photovoltaic technology. Today we are among
the largest integrated solar power technology groups
worldwide with production, sales and research locations on four continents. The term integrated means
that we cover the entire solar value chain from ultrahigh-purity silicon to turn-key systems. On the next
few pages, we invite you to accompany the creation of
a solar module in the SolarWorld AG production sites
at Freiberg in Saxony.
Legend
RESEARCH
wafer
Raw material
Cells
modules
trade & Logistics
1957
1162
SILVER MINING
In the ancient silver city of Freiberg, ore mines
and smelting works had as long a tradition as
science, research and technological development. In 1765, the oldest mining university in the
world was established here. Its know-how still
benefits the region to this day.
SolarWorld AG I Freiberg
Solarworld
innovations gmbh
product
Poly-crystalline silicon wafers
for the solar cell industry,
silicon processing, recycling
product
Know-how
product
Sunsil silicon powder
EQUIPMENT
Characterization, cell and module testing, tests for quality,
reliability and longterm stability; technology labs for wafer,
cell and module technology
with pilot production lines for
nearproduction evaluation.
Research &
development
Raw material
Wafer
Cells
Modules
Trade &
consulting
Recycling
1994
SEMICONDUCTOR
PRODUCTION
PHOTOVOLTAIC
TECHNOLOGY
Silicon production
Silane is used to make solar-grade silicon the raw material that forms the basis for the generation of solar power. SolarWorld developed a new processing technology
to produce solar-grade silicon at reduced costs. The highvalue solar-grade silicon is made from silane, a gas consisting of silicon and hydrogen. The silane gas is supplied by
Evonik Degussa GmbH; the technology for its decomposition into silicon is an in-house development by Joint Solar
Silicon GmbH a joint venture of Evonik Degussa GmbH
and SolarWorld AG. The energysaving production of silicon with an in-house process makes the valuable raw material available on short notice and over the long term.
Days 1-6
Legend
1 SAND
2 3 4 FREE-SPACE-REACTOR (FSR)
For the formation of silicon from mono-silane.
Silicon processing
Silicon is the most important raw material of the photovoltaic industry. SolarWorld AG secures its long-term
strategic silicon supply with its own production facilities.
This is achieved by developing new manufacturing technologies, such as the Sunsil process.
5 SUNSIL-POWDER
Generation of silicon powder from mono-silane.
6 DELIVERY
Sunsil powder arrives in barrels.
7 SUNSIL-POWDER
SolarWorld I Crystallization
Crystallization
SolarWorld AG manufactures polycrystalline silicon wafers, the silicon slice that will become solar cells, at our
Freiberg site. Here, we can rely on our longstanding experience, since solar wafers have been produced from
silicon for photovoltaic applications in Freiberg begin-
10
ning in 1994. High-purity solar silicon is the basic material for crystallization, since the cleaner the raw material the more efficient the subsequent solar cells. During
wafer production, the ingots made from numerous silicon crystals are cut into columns and then into wafers.
Days 7-9
Legend
The high-purity silicon is poured into coated crucibles of highpurity quartz material.
2 LOOKI NG INTO THE FURNACE
11
Legend
1
2 COLUMN MAKING
Wire saws (briquetters) are used to process the silicon ingot. The side parts are removed and the ingot is cut into
square columns. The cross-section of the columns corresponds to the format of the wafers to be produced later.
3 WI RE SAW
12
Days 10-11
Wafer production
The blocks are separated into columns of a square
cross-section. Modern wire-saw technology cuts
super-thin sheets the socalled wafers. The wafers,
which in this stage are not electrically conductive, are
then carefully cleaned and subjected to a strict selection process. Only high-quality wafers are sold to customers from the international solar cell industry who
process them into high-performance solar cells.
14
Day 12
Legend
1 CLEANING
In the next step, the positive-negative junction is achieved by way of phosphorus diffusion which makes the silicon conductive to electrons.
3 OXIDE ETCHING
5 SURFACE COATING
A blue anti-reflective layer reduces optical losses and makes for an electrical passivation of the surface.
6
7 METALLIC PRINTING
The front and rear contacts are applied in a screen-printing process. Before each of the three print runs, the position of the cells is measured to align the printing screen
correctly silver contacts on the rear, aluminum coating
on the rear and silver grid on the front.
8 CLASSIFICATION
CELLS PRODUCED IN ONE WEEK COVER THE AREA OF 3.5 SOCCER FIELDS.
15
Legend
16
A flasher determines the power of individual solar modules under standard test conditions. In addition to the
performance, the appearance of each module is checked
as it also plays an important role. Each module is labeled
individually, indicating the type, performance and production site.
Day 13
Module production
A unique production process ensures the fully automated solar module production in the production facilities
of SolarWorld AG in Freiberg. In the process, the regular
electrical and optical measurement and the control of
the intermediate product ensure top quality. After the
framing, the final product is tested and packaged, ready
for shipping.
17
SolarWorld I Logistics
Logistics center
SolarWorld kits are put together in the SolarLog logistics center. The SolarWorld kits consist of the selected
module type, the inverter to match, the assembly rack
required for the roof shape as well as additional accessories. The products are individually picked, packaged and
shipped to customers all over the world.
Day 14
Legend
1 I NCOMING GOODS
7 PI CKING
Over 100 TRUCKS ARE LOADED AND UNLOADED EVERY DAY AT THE
SOLARWORLD GROUP IN FREIBERG.
19
Distribution center
From Germany throughout the entire world our sales
teams ensure that our national and international customers can harness the suns power. The employees of the
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21
Legend
1 Sunmodule Plus
Quality Made in Germany: the standardized SolarWorld module concept stands for excellent
products. SolarWorld ensures constantly high profitability thanks to first-class quality.
2 SolarWorld kits
SolarWorld kits contain perfectly matched components and are customized for each client.
The SolarWorld kits contain high-quality modules that are Made in Germany, the assembly
system, inverters, cables and other accessories.
3 Sundeck
Sundeck is the design solution for solar power and is the benchmark for roof-integrated systems. The system perfectly integrates solar power modules into the roof: the photovoltaic system and the roof form a harmonious unit.
22
23
Recycling, cleaning
Silicon from our own production and from other companies is injected into an internal recycling system here and
converted into valuable solar-grade silicon for re-use in
wafer production. Silicon from our own production and
from other companies is injected into an internal recyc-
24
Legend
1 SPECIAL PRODUCTIONS
3 I NTERNAL RECYCLING
25
Research
At a technology center located in Freiberg, unique within
Europe, SolarWorld Group conducts research along the
entire value chain for photovoltaics. SolarWorld Innovations GmbH research company works closely with
facilities in Freiberg that specialize in semiconductor
materials. Since 2003, SolarWorld has supported 282
students, diploma students and graduate students
during their academic training programs as well as
with their theses. Research projects at the Institute
26
Development
Research in Freiberg focuses on practical development
and optimization of production processes, with the aim
of lowering production costs, increasing efficiency and
improving quality and process reliability. New technologies and production processes are developed, tested
and promptly transferred into mass production facilities at our state-of-the-art research and development
center. Laboratories for development, reliability testing
and quality assurance permanently monitor the mate-
27
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sorting method guarantees the highest system efficiency, as we deliver only modules that achieve or surpass
the designated nominal performance in performance
tests. With our linear performance warranty, SolarWorld
guarantees a maximum annual degeneration in performance of 0.7% for 25 years, according to the applicable
service certificate a clear additional benefit, compared
with conventional two-stage industry guarantees. Comprehensive warranty services protect your investment in
line with consumer requirements even in the fine print.
The extended 10-year product warranty applies to all
SolarWorld quality modules and goes well beyond the
two years required by law.
Guaranteed module
performance
97%
95%
Added-value warranty
90%
85%
80%
75%
0%
1
10
15
20
25
Years
* in accordance with the SolarWorld service certificate valid at purchase www.solarworld.com/service-certificate
29
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Cell
A solar cell is the basic element for the production of solar modules; cells are
made from wafers.
CO
Abbreviation of carbon dioxide; pollutants that are produced during generation in power stations. During its service life, a solar module prevents approximately 25 times more CO than is required to produce it.
Diffusion
Feed-in tariff
Grid parity
Grid parity will be achieved when electricity from a photovoltaic plant can be
offered at the same retail price as electricity from the wall socket.
Inverter
kWh
kWp
Module
Term describing an electrically connectable unit of solar cells, including weather protection (glass), junction box, embedding material (film) and framing.
Mono-crystalline
Silicon grown as a single crystal; the crystal structure on the interior is homogeneous, which is shown by even coloring on the outside.
MW
Photovoltaic
Poly-crystalline
Semiconductor
Solid body is viewed as both a conductor and a non-conductor; the conductivity can be specifically influenced by injecting other atoms (doping) from different main chemical groups, e.g. phosphorus, and boron.
Silicon
The raw material silicon is used for the production of solar cells. Silicon is the
second most common element in the Earths crust and is found in sand, for
example.
Stand-alone solution
The energy generated is stored in batteries and consumed later. These plants
are not connected to the power grid.
The standard test conditions are the conditions under which the electrical and
voltage characteristics of a module cell are measured and then entered in the
module data sheet. Standard Test Conditions = 1,000 W/ m, 25C cell/module
temperature, sun spectrum AM = 1.5.
Tracked Systems
Assembly systems for solar modules that make the installed module field
track the movement of the sun so to generate extra yield; singleaxis systems
rotate from east to west; double-axis systems also allow for the elevation angle of the sun.
Value chain
The solar value chain describes the production stages from sand/raw silicon
all the way to the finished solar module.
Wafer
Sawed silicon sheet; starting point for the production of a solar cell.
HEADQUARTERS
SOLARWORLD AG
Martin-Luther-King-Str. 24
53175 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49228 55920-0
Fax: +49228 55920-99
service@solarworld.de
www.solarworld.de
PRODUcTION
DEUTSCHE SOLAR GMBH
Berthelsdorfer Str. 111 A
09599 Freiberg/Sachsen, Germany
Phone: +4937313010
Fax: +4937313014322
info@deutschesolar.de
www.deutschesolar.de
SOLARFACTORY GMBH
Ferdinand-Reich-Str. 1
09599 Freiberg/Sachsen, Germany
Phone: +4937313014552
Fax: +4937313014567
info@solarfactory.de
www.solarfactory.de
SOLARWORLD AG
Karl-Legien-Str. 188
53117 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49228 55920-0
Fax: +49228 55920-99
service@solarworld.de
www.solarworld.de
SolarWorld Ibrica
C/La Granja 15-Edif. B-1B
28108 Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain
Phone: +34914905999
Fax: +34916574968
info@solarworld.es
www.solarworld.es
SolarWorld France
ZI Bouchayer-Viallet
Htel dentreprise
31, rue Gustave Eiffel
38000 Grenoble, France
Phone: +33 43 821 00 50
Fax: +33 43 821 00 59
service@solarworld.fr
www.solarworld.fr
www.solarworld.com
Text and illustrations reflect the state of the art at the time of printing. Subject to change without notice. Valid as of: 01/2013
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