"Dawn of the 'Mega Solar' Age"
Kyocera Introduces New 200-Watt Solar Module
Largest Kyocera module to date will facilitate large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems of 100 kilowatts and greater
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(This document was translated from the Japanese press release.)
December 07, 2004
Kyocera Corporation (President: Yasuo Nishiguchi) is pleased to announce the development of a large-scale solar module with 200-watt output capability for introduction in Japan in January 2005. The company believes that this module is ideally geared for large-scale solar electric generating systems of 100 kilowatts (kW) or greater, which are increasingly being installed for public and industrial applications.
Industrial PV system using Kyocera's new 200-watt modules
* The Kyocera 200-W module for public and industrial use will be displayed in the Kyocera booth of the "Eco-Products 2004" to be held from December 9 in Tokyo Big Sight.
200-W solar module consists of 54 cells.
(SPG200T-02 * For the Japanese market)
Product Overview
| Model |
SPG200T-02 (* For the Japanese market) |
| Nominal max. output |
200.0W (* Largest output among the mass production-type solar modules in Japan) |
| Module conversion efficiency |
14.18% |
| External dimensions |
1425mm x 990mm x 36mm (approximately 56 x 39 x 1.5") |
| Weight |
18.5kg |
| Element configuration |
54 units, one series * 150mm x 155mm rectangular cell |
| Cell in use |
Multicrystal silicon, highly efficient solar cell * Average cell efficiency 15.9% |
Market Trends
The Japanese government this year set a target to achieve 4.82 million kilowatts of national energy capacity through solar power generation by 2010, with a long-term goal of 83 million kilowatts by 2030.* It is therefore expected that demand for solar cells and modules in Japan will rise dramatically in the future.
Interest in residential solar power generation systems is growing rapidly in Japan, and the number of households equipped with solar power generation systems has been increasing steadily for the last several years.
In addition, large-scale PV systems have been installed in a wide range of applications, including public facilities, industrial plants, government office buildings, schools, medical facilities and commercial office buildings, through subsidy programs and support measures set up by the national and local governments.
Recently, an increasing number of local governments and companies are introducing large-scale systems of 100kW or greater. Very large-scale applications, such as the purification plant in Tokyo, now involve PV systems of 500kW to 1000kW or greater.
* Based on the "Outlook for Energy Supply and Demand in 2030 (Interim Report)" by the Supply and Demand subcommittee of the Total Resources and Energy Research Group in June 2004
Development Background
Kyocera is committed to serving the entire market for solar PV systems, from residential to large- and very-large scale installations. In so doing, the company seeks to optimize every element of the system, from materials and components to the design, environment and available space. The goal is a total solution using flexible design capabilities to address all of the important system variables, including logistics and costs.
Following the above market trends, Japan's Ministry of the Environment has high expectations for the potential inherent in commercializing solar power generation systems as power facilities, and plans to conduct a demonstration experiment of a megawatt-class (1MW=1000kW) solar electric generating facility. There is thus no doubt that installations of large-scale solar power generation systems for public and industrial use will increase.
For large-scale systems, Kyocera recognizes that the following requirements need to be fulfilled: (1) Scalability to make the system itself larger; (2) Space efficiency; (3) Superior total cost performance. With output of 200W, Kyocera's new PV module is designed to address these specific requirements.
Larger modules dramatically reduce the total number of modules required for the overall system. This helps to reduce costs by increasing the efficiency of delivery, installation, and construction work. It consequently brings more advantages and satisfaction to those who introduce large-scale systems.
Features
1) Introduction of Kyocera's highly efficient multicrystal silicon solar cells
Kyocera attained the world's greatest module conversion efficiency of 17.7% in multicrystal silicon solar cells for mass production in June 2004. Kyocera's proprietary new and highly efficient solar cell was created by improving the quality of silicon wafers and increasing the area for receiving light through a fine, low-resistance electrode structure. The company will begin supplying the highly efficient solar modules by employing highly efficient cells in the production process in the next fiscal year. The 200W PV module incorporates 54 of the new, highly efficient cells (average efficiency: 15.9%) through advance introduction of some of these technologies.
2) Increased system output using fewer modules
By attaining the highest* output of 200W, it is possible to develop a large system with fewer modules, reducing installation and electrical wiring work.
* Among the mass production-type solar modules in the Japanese market
| (Example comparison of number of units) |
100-kW system |
200-kW system |
300-kW system |
1000-kW system |
| Current 178.6W |
560 units |
1120 units |
1680 units |
5600 units |
| New 200.0W |
504 units |
1001 units |
1500 units |
5040 units |
| Difference in the number of units |
-56 units |
-119 units |
-180 units |
-560 units |
| Total work |
10% decrease |
10% decrease |
10% decrease |
10% decrease |
3) New design with additional row of cells
The number of cells installed for the conventional 178.6W module was 6 units x 8 rows, for 48 units in total. For the new module, one row of cells (six units) was added to make 6 units x 9 rows, for 54 units in total. This increases the area of the modules by 10%, to 1425 x 990mm, compared with the conventional type, measuring 1290 x 990mm.
Although a larger module usually decreases efficiency, conversion efficiency of the new module is increased to 14.18%, compared with 13.98% for the conventional module.
With a larger module, weight is increased by 3kg/unit, but the rack weight per unit is reduced, resulting in a lighter overall system. It is also possible to achieve cost savings with a lower volume of rack materials and reduced rack installation labor. The bigger the system, the greater these advantages become.
| (Example comparison of racks) |
100-kW system |
200-kW system |
300-kW system |
1000-kW system |
| Current 178.6W |
14.840t |
29.680t |
44.520t |
148.400t |
| New 200.0W |
13.356t |
26.712t |
40.068t |
133.560t |
| Difference in weight of racks |
-1.484t |
-2.968t |
-4.452t |
-14.840t |
| Module weight |
(+0.644t) |
(+1.288t) |
(+1.932t) |
(+6.440t) |
| Difference of total weight |
-0.840t |
-1.680t |
-2.520t |
-8.400t |
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| Inquiries |
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From Customers |
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KYOCERA Corporation
Solar Energy Division,
Business Department
6 Takeda Tobadono-cho, Fushimi-ku,
Kyoto 612-8501, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)75- 604-3476 (Direct)
Fax : +81-(0)75-604-3475 (Direct) |
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From the Press |
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KYOCERA Corporation
Corporate Communications
Head Office
Tel: 075-604-3416 (Direct)
Tokyo
Tel: 03-3274-1577(Direct) |
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