Highlighting ‘wavelength transmission’ efficiency

Specialized Technology Resources is the global leader in manufacturing of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) encapsulant materials for the photovoltaic, solar energy market. Philip Yorke talked to Susana Florez, the company’s marketing and sales director in Europe, about its latest high technology products and the market forces that are shaping the industry.

Specialized Technology Resources (STR) is a global leader in the manufacture of advanced EVA products for solar panel encapsulation, with major manufacturing facilities in the US, Europe and Asia. STR has its headquarters in Connecticut, USA and covers the demands of the American market from its extensive facilities there. In Spain the company operates another major production site designed to supply the needs of Europe, Africa and the Middle East countries. In Malaysia, too, the company operates a large modern facility to satisfy demand in the fast-growing Asian markets. In order to maintain its pole position as a strong and reliable partner and supplier in this region, it has committed itself to establishing a new state-of-the-art facility near Shanghai, China, which is due to become operational in 2013.

Enhancing the entire PV supply chain

In 1975 STR was the first company within the photovoltaic (PV) industry to develop an encapsulant devoted specifically to PV applications. The company’s trademark for this material is Photocap®, offering standard-cure EVA encapsulants, fast-cure, ultrafast-cure and mega-fast cure EVAs. Today, Photocap® 15455P/UF has the fastest curing kinetics of any commercial EVA encapsulant in the world and delivers more than 25 per cent reduction in lamination cycle time.

As the leading supplier of EVA encapsulant products to the Photovoltaic industry and as a result of its pioneer work in the development of encapsulant materials, the company is not only the supplier of choice in its field but has become a reference point for solar module manufacturers and anyone involved throughout the entire PV supply chain. To endorse this, the company has launched a campaign called ‘STR Protected’, which is designed to highlight the company’s relevant core values, such as bankability, durability, expertise, advanced R&D, engineering excellence and global reach.

Today more than 10 Gigawatts of STR Protected modules are operational in the field worldwide, all of which offer unsurpassed long-

term optical performance and maximum power output. As a result of the bankability of these products, investors in the solar industry are gaining a better understanding of how to calculate the actual returns on their investments.

Ms Florez said, “STR has been the pioneer and the driving force in the development of encapsulant products for the PV industry since we entered the market in 1975. We continue to lead the field in this area and today we are talking about increasing durability and productivity as well as the PID (potential induced degradation)-resistant materials that are being marketed. When summarised, this simply means that solar modules suffer power loss due to a diverse range of electrical field conditions. In response to this, STR’s Photocap® 15455 P/UF is proven PID resistant and is an encapsulant with the fastest lamination cycle time on the market. The company is also developing new test criteria for PID resistance in all new encapsulants that will be introduced in the market

“In addition, we have now launched a High-Light Transmission Encapsulant (HLT) which offers greater efficiency and extra value as it allows more ‘energy photons’ to strike the solar panels. This extra value is created by the instance of lower UV cut-off, which allows more high energy photons to react with PV device.”

Ms Florez added, “As far as future sales are concerned, a lot depends upon the policies of individual governments. Our main partners and customers are PV module manufacturers worldwide and we provide the same dedicated service and attention to our small independent clients, as we do to our large multinationals. Apart from the close relationship that we enjoy with our customers, we bring to the table in-depth technical expertise, know-how and support throughout the whole supply-chain operation.”

Enhancing module durability

The quality of PV solar panel components is vital to the durability and efficiency of the module. Our encapsulant touches every

single component of the solar module and therefore it must be chemically and physically compatible in order to guarantee, long-term module durability. Encapsulants are critical elements of every solar module as they protect cells from the destructive elements, bond the multiple layers together and provide essential electrical insulation. They must also provide high optical transparency and stability. This is in addition to providing strong adhesion to the module materials and sufficient mechanical compliance to accommodate stresses induced by differences in thermal expansion.

STR continues to invest a high proportion of its net sales in developing products to meet the challenging market demands for greater efficiency, increased output and lower prices per watt ratios.

Pioneering High Light Transmission encapsulants

STR is the driving force in the EVA encapsulant market and continues to develop ground-breaking products that enhance productivity and durability. The company’s High Light Transmission EVA Encapsulant product is no exception.

Currently grid parity is the point at which renewable energy is equal to or cheaper than grid power. The target is to obtain grid parity and reduce the cost of solar energy to the point where it is competitive with conventional grid-supplied electricity. Grid parity is gained by reducing cost per watt, and to achieve this, STR’s new High Light Transmission EVA encapsulants allow the maximum transmission of wavelengths above 300mm to reach its solar cell, thereby significantly increasing the Pmax (photon maximisation) absorption rate, allowing for reducing cost/watt at the solar panel level.

Today, STR’s polymer scientists remain dedicated to the development of even more advanced formulations and product configurations, which are based upon its high manufacturing standards and a strong commitment to customer relationships. n

Choosing the right solar encapsulant to protect the longevity of the solar module is the single-most important decision a developer or project owner will make.

STR Manufacturing Locations: STR, Inc. 24 Scitico Road Somers, CT 06071 USA Phone: +1 (860) 763-8252

STR (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Plot 20, Jala n Tanju ng A/3 Port of Tanju ng Pelepas 81560 Gela ng Pata h, Johor Malaysia Phone: +607-507-3186 Fax: +607-507-3 STR España, S.A. Parque Tecnológico de Asturias, Parcela 36 33428 - Llanera, Asturias Spain Phone: +34-985-73-23-33 Fax: +34-985-73-23-32

STR, Inc. 18 Craftsman Road East Windsor, CT 06088 USA

STR Corporate Headquarters 1699 King Street, Suite 400 Enfield, CT 06082 USA Phone: +1 (860) 758-7300 Fax: +1 (860) 758-7301 Specialized Technology Resources, Inc. (STR) is the global leader in encapsulant technology for the solar module industry. STR has been manufacturing encapsulants for more than 30 years with zero fi eld failures. Our products offer distinct competitive advantages that increase the bankability of our customers’ modules. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) has been the primary material used in solar encapsulants for the last few decades. STR PHOTOCAP® EVA is the only encapsulant technology with a proven track record of maintaining durability, adhesion, stability and transparency after more than 25 years of fi eld exposure. STR not only offers encapsulant with proven superior performance, but we work directly with our customers to improve their lamination processes and in turn, improve the quality of their modules, increase yield and reduce costs.