Feb 28 2011
The gas division of The Linde Group has witnessed a massive growth in the photovoltaic market in 2010 with its capacity trebling three times and reaching 17.4 GW. The bulk of the growth has been due to the increasing demand in the markets of Greater China, which accounts for the production capacity of 13.5 GW.
Linde has bagged 25 new contracts and renewals with crystalline and thin-film silicon manufacturers throughout the world, including Renesolar and GCL in China, Schueco and Bosch in Germany and business expansion with Trina, Suntech and Motech. Over 80% of the new production capacity will originate in Asia. This will enable Linde to profit from the investment made in amorphous silicon this year. Linde will also make an effort to get a hold of 70% of the crystalline silicon market by commercializing fluorine for its production.
With its domination over the supply of PV modules the world over and the low manufacturing costs of solar panels, Linde anticipates that photovoltaic manufacturers outside Asia will concentrate more on application-specific markets. It is also focusing on partnering with its customers in an attempt to substitute NF3 with its F2 gas technology.
Head of Market Development & Technology at Linde, Dean O'Connor, stated that the innovative fluorine gas technology will aid clients to improve solar cell efficiency and in turn reduce greenhouse emissions. GTM Research studied the recent trends in the markets and is of the opinion that the demand for PV in 2011 will rise to 18.5 GW, surpassing the demand in 2010 by 11% and reaching more than 20 GW in 2012.
Source: http://linde-electronics.com