Applied Materials, Inc., the world's largest supplier of solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing equipment, will showcase its strategy to make solar power affordable for everyone, everywhere, at the Intersolar North America event in San Francisco next week. "Scale" is the key - scaling up power output through higher efficiency and bigger panels while scaling down cost through faster processing, tighter process control and lower material costs.
Applied is widely known for its award-winning SunFab Thin Film Line that produces panels with the world's highest power output. Delivering more than 460 watts, each of these 5.7m2 panels has over three times the output of any other thin film glass panel on the market. When used for large-scale applications, these panels can provide an entire manufacturing ecosystem, linking solar panel producers, utility companies and communities to attract local investment and create jobs for generating clean solar energy at a competitive cost.
Applied also serves over 40% of the crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV module manufacturing market with its broad portfolio of wafer and cell processing systems. By focusing on key steps of the c-Si fabrication process, Applied is working on providing new integration and automation solutions to enhance cell manufacturing. New breakthroughs in the high-speed processing of ultra-thin wafers: wafer slicing, film deposition and integrated backend processing will enable lower manufacturing costs and superior cell properties.
Applied's experts, including prominent industry figures Dr. Charles Gay and Dr. Winfried Hoffmann, will participate in Intersolar North America's technical program. They will share advances in fabrication technology and help attendees navigate public policy and implement sustainable manufacturing practices.