Three teams, one goal: efficiency

Just an hour’s drive from Thun are two other Meyer Burger research sites. This is no coincidence as the region between Berne and Geneva is the center of the Swiss precision industry, first and foremost the watchmaking industry. Pasan SA in Neuchâtel has been part of Meyer Burger for ten years; its founder previously worked for a watch manufacturer with a global reputation. This background shaped the company’s mission to provide “the measurement you can trust”. Pasan develops and produces highly precise and reliable cell and module testers, setting the standards worldwide. Pasan is, so to speak, the Rolex of the module measurement industry.

Pasan’s tools simulate sunlight and measure the cell or module performance (the amount of electricity produced). They are an integral part of Meyer Burger’s future production lines. in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Freiberg, but also present on the international market. Almost all leading manufacturers of solar modules use measurement technology from Pasan.

Led by Rajesh Ambigapathy, Managing Director, a core team of engineers at Pasan is now working on measurement capabilities for the next generation of cells and modules. “We are looking at alternative light sources in order to improve our measurement processes, and at contacting technologies. We are in close contact with the teams in Hauterive and Thun. We base our developments on their needs, enabling them to accurately measure the novel cells and modules that they are developing.”

At Meyer Burger Research in Hauterive on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, the focus is on cell research. This is where a significant part of heterojunction technology (HJT) was developed. Damien Lachenal, Head of Research & Development, describes the research approach as “finding out where we lose efficiency and how we can avoid this in the future”. Sounds simple, but it’s not. The team consists of solar cell physicists, plasma physicists, engineers, technicians, chemists and software specialists. They use sophisticated experiments to identify weak points and test possibilities for improvement. New tests are set up every week, with about every tenth experiment leading to hoped-for progress.

Close partnership with CSEM

Problems are often tackled with the support of neighboring CSEM, a Swiss research and develop- ment center, in a public-private partnership. CSEM specializes in fields ranging from photovoltaics and energy management to life sciences. It has around 500 highly qualified experts at several locations. “We have been able to help Meyer Burger build an amazing technology portfolio. This will allow them to play an important role in PV manufacturing in the years to come”, said Christophe Ballif, Vice President of CSEM and Director of the PV Center, at the occasion of extending the partnership with Meyer Burger.

"Our research approach is to find out where we lose efficiency and how we can avoid this in the future.”

Damien Lachenal, Head of Research & Development, Hauterive
 

Next generation of cells

The next generation of cells is expected to be significantly more efficient than the current HJT cell. The front side of the cell will be more transparent, allowing it to make even better use of sunlight. Work is also being done on cost-efficiency. Till Kössler is overseeing a series of tests to determine the extent to which silver can be replaced by other materials in the coating of silicon wafers, the core of all cells. “That would achieve a noticeable cost saving, which will help to increase our competitiveness”, he says. The research took four years before the new cell type will soon be tested in mass production.