Alternative and renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydrothermal and geothermal energy attract more and more attention in Russia. Growing interest towards it is attracted because of the environmental considerations on the one hand and limitation of the traditional Earth resources on the other hand. Special place among alternative and renewable energy resources have been taken by photovoltaic solar energy converter, studying of which has become a separate scientific field – photovoltaics (PV).
However high cost of the solar cells up to quite a recent time closed the way for them in the fields, where it was possible to use their substitutes. Though, times are changing and world’s leading countries motivate the usage of solar batteries in their national programs.
What is that – an attempt to follow fashion trends, transnational lobbying of someone’s interests or stable trend, time for which has come?
To make it clear and to answer on the rest of the questions concerning PV, by Sovtest ATE together with the leading European companies, there was held international symposium: «Technologies in photovoltaics: production and testing» on the 30th of June in Izmailovo Hotel (Moscow).
Up-to-the-minute PV technologies, which are already used in Europe and the USA, along with the most advanced equipment for production and testing of PV modules, were touched upon during the symposium.
The following topical issues were also raised at the symposium:
1. Opportunities for the development of PV in Russia.
2. Thin-film technology and equipment for SiN substrate coating.
3. Computer-aided manufacturing of the crystallized solar cells.
4. Equipment for liquid chemical processing in the production of solar cells.
5. PV test standards for crystallized and thin-film modules.
6. Usage of different testing systems for PV modules.
Among foreign speakers there were: Baldus Andreas, RENA (wet chemical wafers processing), Ralf Jenter, Votsch (liquid chemical processing of panels and testing of the end products), Rainer Erdmann, Despatch (thermal processes), Matthias Seidel, Roth&Rau (anti-reflection coating) and Antonio Schmidt, Manz Automation (full automation of the processing line).
More than 20 companies, such as “Renova Orgsintez”, “Telekom-STV”, “Rusnanotech”, “Digitron”, “Kvant”, etc. from different Russian regions, which someway or other work in the PV field took part in the symposium. Moreover, journalists and editors from the leading specialized magazines also visited the event.
Having chosen solar energy in the capacity of one of the ways of the innovation development, Sovtest ATE has been working in the PV field for several years. At the present time the company has developed business relations with the world leading manufacturers of the PV equipment from Europe, the USA and Asia. Due to this Sovtest ATE together with the Russian partners are ready to realize innovation projects of different complexity degree, dealing with the creation of the modern manufacturers for the production of solar cells and batteries, using not only foreign know-how but also state-of-the-art developments of the Russian scientists in the PV field.