Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR) has introduced a starter production line for the development of both organic and inorganic thin film photovoltaic modules.
The development of thin film photovoltaic materials is accelerating, partly because of the worldwide shortage of polysilicon, a crucial ingredient for traditional, crystalline silicon solar cells. As a global leader in photovoltaic equipment development and sales, Spire has over 30 years of experience providing the production tools for building solar modules, and has been developing machines to address the specific needs of the new generation of thin film materials.
Spire’s thin film production line uses customer-supplied thin film plates. Spire equipment is used to laminate, frame, test, and add electrical junction box connections to the thin film modules. The production line can be fitted with automation options to meet customer requirements. One component of this new thin film production line is Spire’s Single-Long Pulse Simulator, which is used to test photovoltaic modules. Earlier this year, Spire introduced an enhanced feature option for Spire’s line of solar simulators that incorporates a very stable, single long-pulse (SLP) of light during which the entire I-V measurement is performed. This feature is key to testing thin film modules accurately.
Mr. Little said, “The solar market is exploding, and the growth of the thin film sector offers new avenues for future industry expansion. Spire has provided the production equipment upon which the silicon-based solar industry has been built; now we offer tools for the next generation of photovoltaics.”
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