PES: Europe

ASK THE EXPERTS

94

Capitalising on the ever-growing worldwide PV marketAndy Tuan was recently appointed Strategic Marketing Planning and New Business Development Director, Global Electronics for Air Products, to enhance customer engagement and emphasise the company’s growing commitment to facilitate strong growth in the region. Here, PES speaks to Andy about the company and how its local operations dovetail into a global strategy.

PES: Welcome back to PES. When we last spoke, you were optimistic about the solar PV industry in 2010. How did the year shape-up for you, and do you still feel the same optimism for 2011?

Andy Tuan: 2010 was a good year. The industry saw 100 per cent plus growth and we are pleased to keep up with the growth. With the recession behind us, we anticipate 2011 will be as good if not better than 2010. A lot of capacity expansions that were announced in 2010 are now under way in 2011, so we expect positive year-on-year growth.

PES: What’s your take on the battle between thin-film and crystalline – is thin-film approaching a point where it will become more prevalent?

AT: There have been significant advances in the different thin-film technologies that will improve efficiency and cost structure, making thin-film more competitive with crystalline. For example, Oerlikon’s improved tandem silicon ThinFab offering projects production cost of 70 cents per watt. At Air Products, we have made cost reductions due to scale and other improvements to help support the platform. We have also made investments in silane, ammonia and supply chain to keep up with our customers’ growth. Additionally, we continue to be world leader in hydrogen selenide, so those pursuing gaseous selinisation CIGS processes will have an ample supply.

PES: Do you find that being a multinational company in 40 countries provides you with the resources to partner with new companies as they develop around the world?

AT: Absolutely. As you know, we grew with semiconductors, following and enabling the semiconductor industry from early Silicon Valley days to expansions in the US and eventually to overseas in places such as Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia. Being a multinational allows us to go after good opportunities with major companies around the world.

PES: The company operates in so many different markets – are you ever concerned that you miss out on opportunities in the PV market due to the sheer size of your operation, or even internal budget allocation?

AT: Like all large companies, we must compete for resources. PV is a strong growth engine for our electronics business. At Air Products, we often tell people our three main markets are: Energy, Environment and Emerging Markets and PV fits squarely in all three.

PES: Can you give us an example of a country that is performing well for you in the PV sector at the moment? To what would you attribute this success?

AT: China, obviously, has rocketed to the top of manufacturing world in PV. As a corporation we have a strong presence in China and have signed a number of deals with up-and-coming Chinese PV manufacturers. As these manufacturers grow, Air Products’ proven capabilities to supply large volumes of materials safely and reliably will bring them a headache-free raw material source.

PES: And just how strong is the Asian market right now?

AT: We are seeing very strong Asian demand. However, we are concerned there will be some moderation of demand with all the potential changes in government subsidies throughout the world.

PES: The company has won a number of new contracts in Asia recently, serving both the crystalline and thin-film PV markets. Has fulfilling these contracts presented you with any challenges?

AT: Capacity demands have risen so sharply it has been a challenge to keep up with customers. However, Air Products’ global reach and experience has allowed us to meet demand. As I mentioned earlier, our prior experience growing with the semiconductor and LCD industries has provided a really strong foundation to keeping up with our customers’ expansion plans.

PES: Manufacturers are particularly keen to eliminate tool downtime and chemical waste (as well as minimise the risk of contamination) – how can you assist in this regard?

AT: At Air Products, we have been managing large factories in adjacent spaces where reliability is key for a very long time. This enables the manufacturer to do what they do best and Air Products manages their gas & material supplies. These same principles apply to the PV market. In addition, our experience as an equipment manufacturer and understanding of the materials is also useful. For instance, our CG 1000, which was developed exclusively for the photovoltaics market to help our customers towards their goal of achieving grid parity. The CG 1000 will reduce refill costs by more than 45 per

www.pes.eu.com 95

ASK THE EXPERTS

tell me morewww.airproducts.com/SunSource4 ©2010 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

One day soon, solar power will just be power.

With SunSource™ materials and turnkey solutions,

your PV investment looks brighter than ever.

For fast fab ramp-up and grid parity acceleration,

it’s hard to beat the experience behind Air Products’

SunSource portfolio of gases, chemicals, equipment,

on-site chemical services and project management.

We’ve been providing materials and expertise to

Silicon Valley since the beginning of Silicon Valley.

Today we serve all market segments in the global

electronics industry, including thin-film and crystalline

PV manufacturing. Which makes our experience

directly applicable to your PV fab.

Visit airproducts.com/SunSource2 to see our inter-

active back-pad demo. And see for yourself how the

SunSource portfolio can energize your PV investment.

7620AP_SolarPV_PwrEngySol_4_10.indd 1 3/1/10 3:09 PM

PES: Europe

ASK THE EXPERTS

96

cent and will enable users to minimise cost of operation and risk of contamination, while improving delivery system safety and reliability.

PES: Can you tell us a little about how Air Products can help drive down cost-per-watt for factory owners?

AT: The main way we can help PV manufacturers reduce costs is through economies of scale as their operations grow. In fact, we invented the bulk supply of gases and chemicals for semiconductor and LCD manufacture. Our BSGS (bulk speciality gas supply) systems can supply high volumes and flows of speciality gases such as nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), silane, ammonia and others around the world. In addition, if larger quantities are necessary, we can supply on-site manufacture of gases such as nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia and even fluorine, once PV fabs are large enough. Another offering which can bring customers value as their demand increases is onsite blending of dopant materials. Our onsite Blender equipment is derived from years of hands-on operating experience creating low concentration blends at one of our several operating facilities.

PES: In our last conversation, you touched upon the development of ‘an advanced radio frequency plasma chemical vapour deposition process’. How is this progressing, and what will the benefits be for manufacturers?

AT: Our R&D efforts in PV PECVD, an effort that is building on our years of fundamental knowledge around depositon in the IC space, continue with signs of good success. We are working on scale-up to confirm value to industry and believe the main benefits will be to lower manufacturer costs for our customers.

PES: The company famously evolved in pace with the semiconductor industry – do you find that you are evolving your products and services to meet the needs of PV?

AT: From semiconductors to LCD (liquid crystal display) to PV, our understanding of film properties and deposition methods is what draws our customers to us. Being able to take that knowledge base and apply to PV gives us a great advantage. Couple that with our experience in safe and reliable bulk supply of gases and you have a winning formula for PV manufacturers.

PES: Is your Solar Farm complete? Please tell us a little about it…

AT: Our 2MW solar farm is currently under construction and is expected to be on-stream and delivering power to our corporate campus in Allentown, PA, this spring. The silicon, tandem thin-film panels were supplied by ENN Solar and Astronergy, two Air Products customers who use our SunSource Solutions to manufacture the panels. When fully operational, the 2 MW of clean energy will be enough to power half of the administration buildings on campus.

PES: Let’s talk about SunSource Solutions, your one-stop offering. Can you tell us how it has been received by the industry and if it will become one of the company’s key products going forward?

AT: Our SunSource Solutions shows our commitment to the PV industry. It is a branded offering of gases, chemicals, GASGUARD and ChemGuard delivery equipment, MEGASYS on-site services, and turnkey project management experience that will help provide

a lower cost of ownership and a faster facility ramp-up. As we said, our experience growing with semiconductor and LCD industries has provided us with the experience to ease the transition of large-scale PV manufacturing.

About the companyAir Products is involved in all areas of the PV manufacturing industry from thin film, polysilicon, ingot/wafering to crystalline and solar cells. The global supplier of gases and chemicals provides customers in technology, energy, healthcare, and industrial markets. Crucially for us, it has adapted to serve the PV sector and boasts a massive portfolio of clients worldwide.

Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets and is recognised for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment.

With annual revenues of over US$9bn and operations in more than 40 countries, the company’s 18,000 employees build lasting relationships with their customers and communities based on understanding, integrity and passion.

For more information, please visit: www.airproducts.com/SunSource