{"id":5086,"date":"2011-07-06T14:20:12","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T08:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenworldinvestor.com\/?p=5086"},"modified":"2011-07-06T14:20:12","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T08:50:12","slug":"kaneka-solar-hybrid-thin-film-solar-panels-review-of-gsa-60-watt-solar-moduel-sale-pricestechnology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/2011\/07\/06\/kaneka-solar-hybrid-thin-film-solar-panels-review-of-gsa-60-watt-solar-moduel-sale-pricestechnology\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaneka Solar Hybrid Thin Film Solar Panels – Review of GSA 60 Watt Solar Moduel Sale Prices,Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kaneka is a Japanese company which is present in a number of product categories like chemicals,functional and expandable plastic products, foodstuffs, life science products and synthetic fibers.However the main focus of the company is in Thin Film Solar<\/a> Panels.Kaneka has been developing amorphous silicon<\/a> thin film technology since 1980 and has advanced manufacturing into developing higher efficiency tandem microcrystalline silicon solar panels.The company also sells transperant see through solar panels.Note Thin Film Technology is\u00a0 facing existential threat from the rapid price reduction in the mainstream crystalline silicon technology which comprises about 85% of the global solar panel market.Kaneka sells its solar modules under the HYBRID brand name which refers to its hybrid tandem thin film silicon technology.Note other companies like Sanyo,Mitsubishi.Oerlikon have also developed this form of technology which gives higher efficiency solar panels as it captures a bigger part of the solar spectrum.<\/p>\n

Kaneka Solar Panel Production<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kaneka can produce over 150 MW\/year in our Toyooka Factory.This plant is in Toyooka city, Hyogo prefecture,
\nTheir next goal is to expand to 1GW\/year around 2015.HYBRID Solar Panels<\/strong> – The company’ HYBRID solar panel<\/a> has a tandem structure that absorbs both the blue and red ends of the light spectrum allowing it to convert even more of the sun’s light into energy.Features of the HYBRID Technology<\/p>\n

1) Kaneka’s HYBRID solar panel has a tandem structure.Its dual-layer structure of microcrystalline and amorphous silicon can capture from short to long wavelengths of the light spectrum, allowing the HYBRID to convert even more sunlight into electricity. This enhances the efficiency of power generation, and produces up to 30% higher power output than conventional thin-film amorphous silicon panels.<\/p>\n

2) Unlike traditional crystalline panels, the HYBRID cells allow it to perform even if part of the panel is shaded<\/p>\n

3) Because of HYBRID\u2019s cell structure, low angle (5 degree) roof installations are possible without a significant loss of power generation by shadow.<\/p>\n

Kaneka GSA 60 Watt Solar Modules – <\/strong>The Kaneka 60 watt solar panel is a amorphous silicon thin film panel and\u00a0 performs better in higher temperatures which is characteristic of thin film solar technology.. Kaneka solar panels are best suited for grid-tie and water pumping applications. The lowest retail prices of the GSA 60 Watt Solar Panel is around $100\/watt which is $1.6\/watt.Note this is one of the lowest prices of a 60 watt solar panel price in retail.Here are the other features – Power warranty of 25 years (80% and Product guarantee for 5 years.It is UL and IEC 61646 tested and certified and has Dimensions of 39x39x1.6<\/p>\n

Kaneka Solar Panel Prices<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kaneka 60 Watt Solar Pallet retails of $85.Note some wholesale solar panel suppliers are selling it at $3.5-4\/watt or more than $200 for this 60 watt panel which is too high.Note most of the solar panel sellers are selling at this price which is crazy since you can buy the cheapest crystalline solar panels at $1.5\/watt which is more efficient that the amorphous silicon solar panels from Kaneka<\/p>\n

Kaneka also sells solar panels in the 55 watt,100 Watt ,105 Watt and 110 Watt Range.<\/strong>Kaneka corporation manufactures see throug solar cells while Taiyo Kogyo manufactures see throug solar products.TSS(Taiyo See-through Solar) is a high performance glass which can generate electric power through photovoltaics. Moreover, the glass functions as a heat shield preventing excessive solar heat gain.<\/p>\n

Amorphous vs Crystalline Silicon Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0Efficiency<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Efficiency of Amorphous\u00a0 Silicon Solar Panels is\u00a0about\u00a07-10% depending on different manufacturers while that for crystalline silicon panels can vary from 15% for common solar panels to 20% for the\u00a0most efficient solar panels from sale<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Sunpower.Note the efficiency of\u00a0Monocrystalline\u00a0Silicon Cells<\/a>\u00a0is on the higher side.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Cost<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The cost of a-Si solar panels is generally lower by 15-20% due to the\u00a0efficienydifference with crystalline silicon panels.However the drastic fall in prices of crystalline solar panels of late has made the\u00a0differnece\u00a0lower which has impacted the sales of Amorphous\u00a0 Silicon Panels<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0Weight<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The Weight of Amorphous\u00a0 Silicon Panels is much lower than that of normal Crystalline Silicon Panels because the Thin Film that is used implies that the substrate can also be thinner.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0Availability<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Crystalline Silicon Solar Panels are much more widely and easily available than A-Si Panels<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0Flexibility<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Its possible for\u00a0 Amorphous\u00a0 Panels to be flexible because their lower weight means they can be put on flexible substrates like plastic .This is not possible with crystalline silicon solar panels.<\/p>\n

Kaneka Competitors in Amorphous and Tandem Silicon Solar Panels<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  1. Sharp<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the Japanese\u00a0Zaibatsu\u00a0known more for its Electronics Products is also the world\u2019s No 1 Company in terms Solar Module Revenues.Sharp has been the solar world leader since the past 4-5 years despite stiff competition recently\u00a0 from upcoming Chinese Crystalline Solar (c-Si) players and Thin Film Leader First Solar.The Chinese have gained almost 50% of the world\u2019s\u00a0marketshare\u00a0in Q409 from a non existent share in 2006 boosted by their low cost production .First Solar through its world beating Cadmium\u00a0Tellerium(CdTe) Thin Film Technology has also managed to vault itself to the No.2 position in 2009.Sharp\u00a0<\/a>has started shipping a-Si modules from its 1 GW\u00a0capac ity\u00a0plant in Sakai.With its established distribution strengths and technological abilities in LCD Technology,Sharp is one company that can survive the c-Si onslaught.With most of the a-Si thin film competitors bankrupt or in a moribund state,Sharp can capitalize to completely capture this space.However the cost structure of Sharp is not clearly known right now to make a clear call on how this will turn out.<\/li>\n
  2. Oerlikon<\/strong>– This Swiss manufacturer does not make amorphous silicon solar panels,it sells the equipment which makes solar panels.The company remains the only large pure play manufacturer of a-Si equipment after Applied Materials called it a day.The company is claiming low costs at much better efficiency for its new equipment.Oerlikon\u00a0has said that its new generation equipment will cuts cost to 70c\/watt and improve efficiency to 10% from the current 9%.This equipment will be shipped to Asian customers like\u00a0Astroenergy\u00a0by 2012 making it competitive with other solar technologies<\/li>\n
  3. Energy Conversion Devices \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>After First Solar,Energy Conversion Devices seemed the mostly likely viable company in Thin Film Technology.After a few quarters of profits in 2008,the company went into the red as its flexible a-Si modules failed to cut costs as fast as others.It has been shutting factories in the US and shifting to low cost locations.Still one of the biggest independent Thin Film Producers.Seems more likely that it will be bought out then survive independently.The company is facing problems currently as its triple junction amorphous silicon cell technology has much higher costs than the currently available crystalline silicon panels.<\/li>\n
  4. Masdar<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Masdar,\u00a0Abu\u00a0Dhabi\u00a0owned Green Company plans to build a\u00a0 Solar Thermal plant called \u201cShams 1? near\u00a0Abu\u00a0Dhabi.\u00a0Masdar\u00a0PV\u00a0has been in the news recently with the\u00a0Dismissal of its top executives\u00a0as its German Thin Film plant is facing trouble.Masdar\u00a0PV sourced technology and equipment from Applied Material\u2019s\u00a0Thin Film Division which is struggling\u00a0to survive against the onslaught of Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) competition.Applied Materials has drastically reduced support to its \u201cSunFab\u201d amorphous Silicon (a-Si) thin film technology with 90% drop in Poly Silicon prices making a-Si technology uncompetitive.Q-Cells\u00a0andSuntech,two major customers of Applied Material\u2019s\u00a0SunFab\u00a0product have already written off their investment.With these two Solar Stalwarts failing to make a-Si products viable,it is highly unlikely that\u00a0Masdar\u00a0PV will get much success from this venture.<\/li>\n
  5. Astroenergy<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 This is a Chinese company which is part of the\u00a0Chint\u00a0Group of companies.Astroenergy\u00a0sells crystalline solar\u00a0 panels as well as tandem and amorphous silicon solar panels.The company hopes to survive the onslaught of competition through the help of its big parent and offering a numerous types of solar panels targeted towards all groups.<\/li>\n
  6. Trony\u00a0Solar\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0Trony\u00a0Solar is the largest Solar Thin Film Producer in China and uses a-Si Technology to producer Solar Panels used mostly in Off-Grid Applications.TRONY is located in the\u00a0Longgang\u00a0District in\u00a0Shenzhen. By 2015 the company plans to achieve production of 1,000 MW thin film solar cells by three\u00a0stages The\u00a0company uses its own custom made equipment and manages to get decent margins for its products.The company recently listed on the HK Stock Exchange.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Also Read about Reviews on<\/h4>\n

    Sharp Solar Panels<\/a><\/p>\n

    Sanyo Solar Panels<\/a><\/p>\n

    First Solar Solar Panels<\/a><\/p>\n

    Bosch Solar Panels<\/a><\/p>\n

    BP Solar Panels<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kaneka is a Japanese company which is present in a number of product categories like chemicals,functional and expandable plastic products, foodstuffs, life science products and synthetic fibers.However the main focus of the company is in Thin Film Solar Panels.Kaneka has been developing amorphous silicon thin film technology since 1980 and has advanced manufacturing into developing higher efficiency tandem microcrystalline silicon solar panels.The company also sells transperant see through solar panels.Note Thin Film Technology is facing existential threat from the rapid price reduction in the mainstream crystalline silicon technology which comprises about 85% of the global solar panel market.Kaneka sells its solar modules under the HYBRID brand name which refers to its hybrid tandem thin film silicon technology.Note other companies like Sanyo,Mitsubishi.Oerlikon have also developed this form of technology which gives higher efficiency solar panels as it captures a bigger part of the solar spectrum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45,52],"tags":[206,224,411,412,514,1070,1186,1265,1637,1685,1720,1724,2243,2256,3138,3269,3273,3539,3549,3665,3853,4069,4070,4918,4983,5291,5532],"class_list":["post-5086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-solar-renewable-energy-greeninvest","category-solar-panels","tag-60-watt-solar-panel","tag-a-si","tag-amorphous-silicon","tag-amorphous-silicon-solar-panels","tag-astroenergy","tag-chinese","tag-competition","tag-costs","tag-efficiency","tag-electricity","tag-energy","tag-energy-conversion-devices","tag-government","tag-green","tag-investment","tag-jv","tag-kaneka","tag-manufacturing","tag-marketshare","tag-monocrystalline","tag-oerlikon","tag-polycrystalline-solar-panels","tag-polysilicon","tag-solar-module","tag-pv","tag-subsidy","tag-thin-film"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iiec-india.org\/greenworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}