The objective of the EpiNex Project is to accelerate the energy transition by revolutionizing silicon wafer production for photovoltaics.
The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is mandatory to slow down global warming and the increasingly negative impacts on our society. However, the energy transition will only be achieved if clean and cheap energy generation is globally available. Solar photovoltaics will be a major source of such clean energy. To make solar photovoltaics the cheapest source of energy, the production cost of solar modules has to be reduced and their conversion efficiencies have to be increased to further reduce their LCOE.
Silicon wafers are the most expensive component of a solar module. Wafers are produced in an energy intensive process chain. Conventional wafer production is inherently complex and involves several energy-intensive and resource-inefficient steps. Conventional wafer production technologies have been optimized over decades. There is very limited cost reduction potential in the future. High wafer cost are a major hurdle for further cost reductions in the photovoltaic industry. In addition, conventional wafer technologies are not suited for mass production of thin wafers, which are needed for world record solar cell efficiencies.
NexWafe's direct gas-to-wafer technology presents a radically new approach to wafer manufacturing, which fully eliminates the expensive multi-step conventional process. Our EpiNex technology, a single in-line epitaxial growth process, yields major game-changing advantages:
- 90% lower polysilicon material losses: No cropping, bricking or sawing is needed.
- 60% lower CO2 emissions and up to 50% lower costs
- First scalable pathway to 80 µm thin wafers thanks to our epitaxial growth technique, which allows us to tailor wafer thickness in-line, without putting strain on the wafer, unlike conventional sawing.
This directly results in:
- High efficiency: 90 µm thin silicon wafers enable solar cells with world record efficiencies
- Significant reduction of the LCOE of solar photovoltaics
The EpiNex project targets to take NexWafe's direct gas-to wafer technology from TRL 5 to TRL 8. By the end of the project the technology, processes and equipment design, will be ready to be deployed in mass production.
Bringing NexWafe's direct gas-to-wafer technology into mass production will be a major step forward for the photovoltaic industry: reduced production cost and increased solar cell efficiencies will cause a significant reduction of the LCOE of solar photovoltaics, which will accelerate the dissemination of solar photovoltaics and the energy transition.
EpiNex will also have a tangible societal impact by shifting the image of solar energy from fringe resource to mainstream contribution. Additionally, increased private solar installation will lead to lower energy costs for families. Finally, tens of thousands of employment opportunities will be created in NexWafe factories as well as in upstream and downstream production facilities. The EpiNex innovation thus directly addresses 4 UN SDGs: 7, 9, 12, and 13.
