Cleantech Update

According the The Johanna Solar Website , the owners of the technology: Thin film solar modules are based – as the name suggests – on a wafer-thin semi-conducting absorber layer. Our unique semiconductor made of copper, indium , gallium, sulphur and selenium is just 3 µm thick – half the thickness of a hair and almost one hundred times thinner than a silicon cell. This saves on raw materials. But thin film solar modules also offer further advantages: The conversion of a broader light spectrum means that electricity is generated even under low light conditions. Due to the construction of the cells comparatively high yields can be obtained even under conditions of partial shadow. Due to improved temperature coefficients – which means lower loss of performance at high temperatures – thin film modules are especially suited to temperatures over 25 degrees Celsius. Integrated production – from glass pane to solar moduleIn the first production step, a wafer-thin layer of molybdenum is a...

Johanna Solar Technology of Germany is licensing distribution rights for up to 80% of its CIGSSe (copper indium gallium sulfur selenide) thin-film solar modules to aleo solar [ed. all-lowercase correct], also of Germany. Both firms will cooperate in the product launch: aleo will be responsible for product branding, while Johanna Solar will be responsible for technology branding (products will bear the label “made by Johanna”). The agreement is for at least five years. “This agreement opens up excellent sales perspectives for us, so that we can concentrate fully on the imminent start of production,” said JST’s managing director Jeroen Haberland. aleo is to introduce the prototype of the new module in September at the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Milan . “We acquired an interest of 19% in Johanna Solar Technology early on [in 2006] in order to ensure our access to this thin film technology,” said Jakobus Smit, chairman of aleo’s management board. Formed in 2001,...