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A Norwegian manufacturer, Elkem Solar, has through research and development been able to establish a more effective way to produce conventional silicon production.

The company based in Kristiansand has achieved some of its set goals:

1. The Cost of silicon production has been decreased considerably in respect to typical production approaches.
2. The energy consumption required to produce solar-grade silicon has also dropped significantly.

This new improved method does also make the silicon-based solar cell’s production at Elkem Solar, effective from the start to end.

The conventional production of silicon is much more cumbersome. It involved energy-intensive and costly methods such as gasifying the raw material. However, Elkem’s new approach is based on typical metallurgy: The raw material required for solar cells is melted. It is then processed in various phases until a 10-kg of silicon block is readily available to be sold to solar cell producers. The key benefit of this method is that it is both more energy and cost-efficient. It is also appropriate for large-scale production.

According to Dr Tronstad, the market potential for silicon for solar cells is extensive. However, the financial crisis has dwindled on the market price for silicon. The only mean to remain competitive is to force price down.

Source: Science Daily