Origin Energy claims new cell reduces silicon content by 90 percent

A new crystalline silicon cell technology has been developed by a joint venture between the Australian National University (ANU) and Australian energy provider Origin Energy Ltd.

On Nov. 28, inventors claimed that the device - dubbed the Sliver Cell - requires one-tenth the silicon of conventional cells. Andrew Stock, executive general manager at Origin, says a 30 × 30 cm prototype tested at Sandia National Laboratories in October recorded just below 14 percent efficiency under standard testing conditions. »A technology that can reduce the silicon content by a factor of ten and achieve commercial efficiencies should have the capacity to reduce costs significantly,« he says. But Stock also claims that the cost of silicon amounts to 40 percent of a module. Actually, that honor goes to the wafer; the silicon feedstock is only about 10 percent of total cost.

Stock declined to reveal the cell's thickness or other details about the technology. But he acknowledged that the development is »derived« from Epilift technology, an epitaxy process that ANU's Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems has been researching for four years (see PI 1/2001, p. 21). With this technology, very thin, semitransparent, monocrystalline cells between 50 and 150 µm thick are grown on a silicon wafer. Chemical etching is used to detach them from the wafer, which can be reused for additional growth-and-peel cycles. Origin has invested more than $6 million AUD ($3.4 million USD) in the research.

Origin, a publicly traded utility serving 2 million customers which recorded a net profit of $128.3 million AUD ($72 million) in 2002, plans to build a demonstration factory in 2004 with a production capacity of »less than 5 MW,« says Stock. He claims to have been approached by »a number of companies« interested in partnering with Origin.

William P. Hirshman
© PHOTON International, January 2003