Unlike semiconductor manufacturing, where producers adhere to similar technologies to make their silicon chips, solar production is the Wild West.
Manufacturers develop their own factory techniques that can have relatively little in common with those of a competitor. Several divergent streams of manufacturing are running full steam: polysilicon and thin-film, for example.
Survey finds 52 percent of solar execs aren't ready for manufacturing collaboration
Producers appear to have no intent to bring this to an end. Instead they seem to see factory differentiation as a potential advantage in a young industry with intense technological rivalries and rapid improving product efficiency.
Many acknowledged that the lack of standards can get in the way of project finance. How is a lender, including the government, to determine whether one process is better or more sustainable than another?
Still, the industry’s propensity for rugged technological individuality isn’t likely to go away soon. With plant techniques evolving quickly and the cleverest engineers stand to win big.
This was evident in a survey by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International trade group of chip manufacturing companies. The survey, which pointed to the many similarities between solar cell manufacturing and chip fabrication, found 52 percent of solar industry execs unwilling to collaborate on production standards while 48 percent were in favor.
Collaboration opponents argued technology roadmaps can’t be put into place in such as dynamic industry.
At the same time, many recognized standardization could reduce the costs of plant automation, design software, technology integration and performance testing – and the survey did find some holes in the resistant armor.
Twenty percent did say some areas of manufacturing might benefit from standards and another 15 percent agreed a roadmap to overcome fragmentation would be useful.
Clearly solar manufacturing will someday come together on standards the way chip manufacturing has. But not today. Too much is at stake for the winners of the technology race.
LEDs already are a fast growing segment, says Birnbaum. The bright pictures and micro-thin designs are a powerful draws.