Advent Solar Scales Ventura Technology Across Multiple Silicon Types

New Mexico, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Advent Solar Inc. announced that it has expanded its Ventura technology manufacturing capability to include all common silicon types, including multi-crystalline, mono-crystalline and UMG. Manufacturers will be able to select the silicon solution that will best address their customers' price and performance needs.

"The silicon-based photovoltaic solar industry is trapped in a cycle of providing decreasing efficiency gains, while at the same time increasing development costs," said Fares Bagh, vice president of engineering and technology for Advent Solar. "Advent Solar is focused on shattering this conventional approach by attacking the problem from a holistic system perspective."

With its new capabilities, Advent Solar has achieved high cell efficiencies with its new products. These results have been validated via round robin tests at Fraunhofer, NREL and Sandia Labs.

18.2% on mainstream 156mm mono-silicon wafers
17.2% on 156mm multi-crystalline wafers
16.56% on 156mm UMG wafers

Advent Solar achieved these cell efficiencies milestones by leveraging its Emitter-Wrap Through (EWT) back-contact technology, which is part of the Ventura solar architecture. EWT eliminates grid obstruction, while still using cost effective fabrication processes and solar-grade materials, such as mainstream mono-silicon and UMG wafers.