SLIVER Technology Research at The ANU

SLIVER Technology

SLIVER solar cells are a new type of solar cell with the potential to revolutionise the global solar power industry. They were developed at the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems with funding assistance from Origin Energy.  SLIVER technology uses a revolutionary process to achieve high efficiencies while significantly reducing the amount of expensive silicon in solar cells.  Solar modules made from SLIVERs can be lightweight, flexible and transparent and offer imaginative opportunities for building integration and other applications.  By substantially improving the cost competitiveness of photovoltaics compared to electricity derived from fossil fuels, slivers have the potential to revolutionise the photovoltaics industry and simultaneously address the critical environmental issue of global warming.

A solar panel using SLIVER Cell technology needs the equivalent of two silicon wafers to convert sunlight to 140 watts of power. By comparison, a conventional solar panel needs about 60 silicon wafers to achieve this performance. By dramatically reducing the amount of expensive pure silicon, the largest cost in solar panels today, this new technology represents a major advance in solar power technology.

SLIVER module

The SLIVER Cell is a radically different concept in photovoltaics. SLIVER Cells are produced using special micro-machining techniques, then assembled into solar panels using similar methods to those used to make conventional solar panels.

The equivalent of two silicon wafers can provide enough SLIVERs to cover a one-square-meter module.

About half the cost of a conventional photovoltaic module is the silicon wafers. Processing the wafers into solar cells, electrical interconnection & encapsulation constitutes the other half of the cost. Some groups and companies are developing non-silicon solar cells based on materials such as cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide, amorphous silicon and titania.

The new technology reduces costs in two main ways – by using much less expensive silicon for similar efficiency and power output, and needing less capital to build a solar panel plant of similar capacity.

The unique attributes of SLIVER Cell technology could open many new SLIVER Cell applications, in addition to conventional rooftop and off-grid uses, including:

• Transparent SLIVER Cell panes to replace building windows and cladding
• Flexible, roll-up solar panels
• High-voltage solar panels, and
• Solar powered aircraft, satellite and surveillance systems.

Origin Energy announced construction is underway on its $20 million solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing plant in Adelaide, South Australia. The new plant will make solar power panels to demonstrate Origin’s revolutionary SLIVER Solar Cell technology developed with the Australian National University’s Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems. Designed to produce up to 7MW of PV modules per year initially, the plant will be readily expandable to 25MW per year should it meet all design objectives and prove SLIVER technology can be applied at a mass produced scale. It will use world-class solar cell manufacturing technology and specially developed automated module assembly techniques.

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Origin Energy has made a major investment into SLIVER Cell technology. With a history dating back 140 years, Origin Energy is a leading Australian energy provider. It participates in most segments of the energy chain including natural gas exploration and production; power generation; energy retailing and trading; and asset services. Origin Energy supplies energy to more than two million homes and businesses. The company focuses on providing cleaner energy choices for customers. It is now the largest retailer of grid-connected solar systems in the Victorian and South Australian markets, the largest markets for grid-connected solar power in Australia. It is the only energy retailer to win preferred partner status with three leading property development companies, Australand Homes, Henley and Metricon to bring competitively priced packaged solar power products to the new-home market. Origin Energy also is partnering with BP Solar to install Australia’s largest citybased solar system on the roof of the Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, is managing a 20kW solar power system on the SA Museum, and has installed a 10kW grid connected solar system on Australia’s greenest commercial building, ‘60L’ in Carlton, Melbourne.

There are many publications featuring the science and engineering of SLIVER solar cells. See the list of publications here.