Answers for industry.

Solutions for Solar

2 SolutionsforSolar|2008
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S o l u t i o n s f o r S o l a r
SolutionsforSolar|2008 3
An approach to solar power, a new industry branch p
Automation in Solar
for Photovoltaic and
Thermal Systems
T
he development of the technology from which
the solar industry benefts today reaches back
to the 1950s. The frst notable achievement
by Siemens in this area was to produce ultrapure
monocrystalline silicon using zonal heating. That in-
novation was followed by the invention of the
Siemens reactor, a thermal decomposition furnace,
which enables the production of polycrystalline sili-
con. Both technologies are still widely used in the
semiconductor and solar photovoltaic (PV) indus-
tries. In the early 1980s Siemens was part of the frst
terrestrial application of solar power, participating
in a European Union project to install a solar power
plant using monocrystalline solar cells (total 100
kilowatt peak) on the Greek island of Kythnos.
Siemens developed thin-flm technology based on
hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). In the 1980s
ARCO Solar Inc. started to develop thin-flm technol-
ogy based on copper indium diselenide (CIS). In 1984
Solar power today is a solid component of the renewable
energy industry road map. Because of the industrys large
scale, it has become a focus of Siemens industry-branch-
specifc approach. Siemens has a long history in the feld
and is capable of supporting the solar photovoltaic (PV) and
concentrated solar power (CSP) with a broad portfolio and
industry-specifc solutions and expertise.
FLENDER, which is part of Siemens AG today, delivered
already-advanced gearboxes for precise tracking to the
frst feld application in the United States. Siemens
took over ARCO Solar Inc. in 1990, and in 1998 the
frst CIS solar modules were offered on the market.
By 1996, based on crystalline silicon wafer technol-
ogy, Siemens Solar Industries had already accounted
for one-ffth of the total installed photovoltaic capac-
ity worldwide, equal to 100 megawatts (MW). An-
other milestone for Siemens was the solar power
plant installation of 1.016 MW at the trade fair center
in Munich in 1997. In 2001 Shell Solar took over all of
Siemens Solars activities.
The industry approach today
Taking into consideration that capital expenditure in
the solar industry will reach 10 billion euros in 2008
and ensure a 30 percent growth, solar power pro-
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4 SolutionsforSolar|2008
S o l u t i o n s f o r S o l a r
term experience in the glass industry and offers en-
hanced technical solutions for integrated automa-
tion of all production levels from raw material to
the fnished product and from feld automation to
production and process management. With an inte-
grated approach, Siemens is creating complete solu-
tions for process and feld automation, for power
supply, and for all kinds of IT levels.
Polycrystalline silicon triggering growth
About 80 percent of polycrystalline silicon (polysili-
con), with the necessary pureness for high-effciency
solar cells, is produced with chemical vapor
deposition (CVD) reactors, also known as Siemens
reactors.
Siemens is the partner that understands the partic-
ular requirements of polysilicon production and, of
course, the Siemens reactors. The Siemens portfolio
includes all the electrical and automation equipment
for deposition reactors from medium-voltage
switchgear over type-tested and certifed bus bar sys-
duction forms its own attractive industry segment
among other industries in the Siemens focus.
Siemens serves related industries such as glass,
chemistry, semiconductor, and power with a branch-
specifc portfolio tailored to applications in those in-
dustries. Siemens approach to solar follows the
same concept. From raw material production to feed-
ing the grid, Siemens is the preferred choice for
products, systems, and solutions for solar power
production and infrastructure.
Serving the solar photovoltaic branch:
Glass becoming a key component
Special, low-iron glass sheets are used to laminate
solar cells, to serve as the substrate for the thin-flm
application, and to form the mounting for the fn-
ished solar modules. The glass industry is going to
build dedicated production lines for such applica-
tions, supporting the special requirements of cast
glass for conventional cell modules, as well as foat
glass in thin-flm technologies. Siemens holds long-
SolutionsforSolar|2008 5
From raw material production to
feeding the grid, Siemens serves
the solar photovoltaic and
concentrated solar power with
products, systems, and solutions
for solar power production and
infrastructure
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tems to the process control system with branch-
specifc functions, all tailored to the individual re-
quirements of the CVD process. In addition, Siemens
offers resin-encapsulated dry-type transformers and
integrates third-party power control into a total
solution to make the facility capable of a reliable
output at the highest quality. A live demo shows the
fexibility of Siemens control solution for the entire
deposition process.
Wafering mass production of
wafers while reducing waste
The wafer is the starting point for creating cells with
photovoltaic function. It is produced out of ultra-
pure, solar-grade, multi- or polycrystalline silicon.
The steps in the processes are time-consuming and
produce a lot of waste silicon. With its products,
Siemens would like to help silicon providers reduce
the process time and the silicon waste fraction.
Siemens is developing dedicated concepts to power
and control the crystal growing and sawing process
Simatic PCS 7 operator screen for the CVD process
by new-generation drives and by drive control and
automation systems. This supports the technology
road map directed toward thinner wafers below
100 m and toward thinner cutting width.
6 SolutionsforSolar|2008
of the major advantages of the Siemens line concept.
Support of a fexible production concept to ft vari-
ous panel sizes and types; track and trace; data ac-
quisition; and a high degree of automation in the
production lines for cell, panel, and thin flm are the
typical functionalities of the Siemens solution. The
solar industry benefts from Siemens expertise in
linking production steps to a line via line control and
through data acquisition from other industries, such
as automotive.
Applied systems PV
feeding sunlight to the grid
Today most of the generated DC power is converted
to AC power and then fed into the public grid. Since
the advent of Siemens PV business, uninterruptible
power supply technology and, later, drive technology
were used to build the highly effcient SINVERT PV
inverters. Measures were taken to adopt these invert-
ers to the various grid conditions to ensure maxi-
mum power is delivered to the grid under all speci-
fed conditions. The largest rooftop installations with
5 megawatts peak (MWp) and large ground-based in-
stallations in Spain (20 MWp fxed mounted) and Por-
Providers of core equipment for the process are go-
ing to extend their competencies to turn key wafer
lines. Line integration and automation, as well as IT
applications such as manufacturing execution sys-
tems (MES) from Siemens, allow leading productivity
and global support.
Cells, panels, and thin flm
the technology drivers
The solar panel combines a number of solar cells to
achieve a relevant voltage level for feeding the cur-
rent into the grid. Thin flm, as an alternative tech-
nology to crystalline silicon cells and panels, uses
chalcopyrite materials, such as CIS, deposited di-
rectly on metallized glass panels. This avoids the ex-
tensive consumption of semiconductor materials.
Controlling the tight process windows, tracking
the quality data, and process steering are the success
factors for this technology. More and more today,
Siemens is applying its existing automation solutions
in semiconductor equipment and infrastructure to
solar. The integrated safety function, which is also
part of the Siemens motion-control systems, supports
handling and operation in the production lines one
S o l u t i o n s f o r S o l a r
Flender drives are applied in tracking systems for solar photovoltaic plants
SolutionsforSolar|2008 7
tugal (10 MWp partly with tracking systems) are pro-
vided with SINVERT PV inverters. The solution
comprises tracking control.
Siemens can provide all the equipment from
boxes, inverters, medium-voltage switchgears, and
transformers to complete container solutions and
is therefore able to provide turnkey installations to
clients. Installation, commissioning, and service go
without saying. Service contracts ensure reliable op-
eration of plants over their whole life span and pro-
tect investments.
Serving concentrated solar power
The second energy source within solar energy is the
heat. Collectors focus the sunlight into a centered re-
ceiver tube to heat up a medium, which fnally drives
a steam turbine. The critical requirements are preci-
sion for focusing the light according to the sun track,
outdoor application and wide distances in the feld,
and guaranteed wide-range operation of the tur-
bines. A distributed decentralized control and auto-
mation system, including drives for tracking com-
bined with lightning protection, is part of the
Siemens offer. Interfacing the feld control with the
control of the power station is the strength of the
Siemens concept; it bridges both parts with one har-
monized control architecture. The concept integrates
feld operation and maintenance and process control
and power station control in one total solution.
Infrastructure a reliable
production environment
All the process steps of solar PV and the production
of receiver tubes for solar thermal systems need ex-
tensive facility infrastructure, including buildings,
energy supply, and supply of gases, water, and media
to low-class clean rooms. Siemens offers a complete
solution portfolio for power supply equipment and
control for co-generation plants and high-, medium-,
and low-voltage packages, including energy distribu-
tion to tools.
Siemens offers scalable Fab-wide integrated con-
trol solutions, including instrumentation, engineer-
ing, and installation. The Siemens portfolio is tuned
to customers needs in production scale and width
and has the fexibility to migrate according to the
customers road map of growth.
Building automation, dedicated water solutions, and
IT services from MES to enterprise resource planning
complete this portfolio, adding up to total integrated
automation for small, medium, and mega Fabs.
Siemens Water Technologies delivers ultrapure wa-
ter systems for the manufacturing process, as well as
wastewater ion exchange and capital solutions to
comply with effuent guidelines governing heavy
metals in the waste stream. The Siemens solutions
cope excellently with inconsistent effuent concen-
trations, rapidly expanding manufacturing scale,
and fast-changing technology requirements all typ-
ical challenges coming from the emerging solar in-
dustry.
Initiating success stories
Siemens long history in the semiconductor feld, its
pioneering development in the solar feld, and its
understanding of the solar industry make it the right
partner with which solar power producers can grow
and face future needs. Siemens invites the solar
industry to make use of this industry-specifc ap-
proach to automation products, systems, and solu-
tions, and to create the success story of electrical
power production using the sun together.
Silicon Saxony is one example of such a success
story. The Siemens Sales Region East Germany was a
partner in developing the semiconductor mega Fabs
like those from Infneon and AMD in Dresden.
Experiences from this pioneering time are ready to
be used now by major players in the solar industry,
creating the second success story the Solar Valley
in Germany.
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Photovoltaicmodules
Siemensmaster/slave
inverterunit
SINVERTsolar4x60
transmissiongrid
SINVERT inverter systems enable feeding solar power
to the transmission grid
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Further Information and Contact
www.siemens.com/solarpv
johannes.schuchart@siemens.com
www.siemens.com/poly-silicon
bernhard.saftig@siemens.com
www.siemens.com/sinvert
christof.koerner@siemens.com
www.siemens.com/water
alan.knapp@siemens.com