PV panel raw materials? [RE-wrenches]

[Dean T. Newberry]

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Hi Bob,
I imagine that significant capital is being invested in processes which 
lead to lower manufacturing costs for PV modules.
In researching the supply of refined silicon I noticed that at least one 
company which produces the feedstock (primarily silane, SiH4 gas) is not 
public. That is  ASiMi  LLC  their  website is  
http://www.asimi.com/index.html#. This is the company which operates the 
solar silicon plant at Moses Lake, WA that Bob Maynard mentioned in his 
letter.

The following quote is from an article By BRUCE RAMSEY P-I REPORTER of 
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tuesday, September 3, 1996
    "Union Carbide sold the plant in 1990 for less than 30 cents on the 
dollar. The buyer, Komatsu
Electronic Materials, had been a customer and had shut down a similar 
plant in Japan to rely on the
one in Moses Lake. The buyer and its corporate parent, Komatsu Ltd., now 
own 90 percent of
Advanced Silicon; the rest is held by Tokuyama, a Japanese chemical 
company. Advanced Silicon
produces its own feedstock, allowing it to create a premium priced silicon
"eleven-nines"(99.999999999 percent) pure, Warren says.
    The silicon in computer chips comes from quartz rock (not sand) 
mined in West Virginia and
Norway and processed there to 98.5 percent purity."

Wacker-Chemie GmbH Germany has a plant in Burghausen Bavaria producing 
in excess of 5000
tons of refined silicon some of which is targeted to the solar market.

There are several chemical companies which produce silicone for the 
aluminum and iron industries which
 may have the capability to produce nine-nines pure silicon which is 
good enough for the PV industry.
It is reported on the Elkem website that the chinese silicone refinerys 
are constrained by the supply of electricity.

Evergreen has completed development of their ultra thin ribbon wafers 
which use 1/3 the silicon per watt
of more typical sawed ingot wafers an advancement which makes better use 
of existing feedstock.

I hope this throws a little light on the supply questions.

It is clear from reading SolarBuzz and other news sources that demand is 
driving pricing in the short term, however
that creates opportunities and attracts investment, which should lead to 
lower costs relatively soon.

I think everyone would like to see prices decline as long as profits are 
healthy.

cul  deant

Bob Ellison wrote:

>If it is too available prices would drop, they are in no hurry to have that
>happen!
>  
>
-- 
Dean T. Newberry
Marketing and Sales

Quantum Energy Group
265 Applegate School Road, P.O. Box 158
Applegate, Ca. 95703

Email:  deant at dcn.org

Cell:      530 867-2392
Office:  530-878-4585
Fax:      530-878-6685 

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