Circuits Assembly - July 2008 - (Page 27)

Cover Story Will Electronics Follow the Sun? By Irene Sterian Vast investment in solar technology has echoes of another mass transition: SMT. eriving power from the sun is hardly a new concept. In fact, Thomas Edison once remarked, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy … what a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ’til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” Edison’s words certainly ring true today. Energy users, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, want a low-cost and environmentally acceptable alternative to traditional energy sources such as oil, coal, gas and nuclear, which may no longer meet those needs. To put the power and potential of solar energy into perspective, consider for a moment that after passing through the atmosphere, 174 PW (1015) of solar energy hits the Earth’s land and water. This is equivalent to ten thousand times the world’s current annual energy usage (15 TW [1012] in 2005). In other words, there is potential for all global energy to be harnessed from the sun’s rays. Although the world’s focus is shifting to alterWhat can the industry bring to the table to help the solar industry nate energies achieve its objectives? Maybe that discovery process will happen at such as solar, SMTA International this year. The August event will feature a session geothermal, on alternate energy at which DEK, BTU, Indium, Asymtek and Photohydro, wind Stencil will discuss their involvement. Also, Prismark Partners, an indeand biomass pendent consulting group, will present “Photovoltaics: The Next Great as environElectronics Market,” the firm’s survey of opportunities throughout the mentally photovoltaic supply chain. For information: smta.org/smtai. acceptable Silicon Wafer Cell Module Figure 1. A conventional photovoltaic process flow. D SMTAI: Current Thinking alternatives, these technologies still need cost reductions to make them more accessible. Fortunately, government investment and technology improvements are driving down the price of solar energy, positioning it as an increasingly viable energy solution for the future. To draw a comparison we can all relate to – the electronics industry has invested an estimated $32 billion in the past 10 years on lead-free conversion, whereas the solar industry invested $16 billion in 2007 alone. This continued investment should eventually drive down the cost of solar energy, positioning it as a viable solution. Supporting this push, as the cost of oil spikes ($134 per barrel in June), alternatives such as solar energy are getting closer to parity (roughly the equivalent of $200 per barrel). Recognizing this, many companies are positioning to take advantage of solar energy – both for use within their own organizations and as a potential growth market. Figure 1 shows the conventional photovoltaic process flow. Many companies provide products in each of these areas, or in several areas in this process flow. A conventional photovoltaic cell looks like Figure 2. This cell is built up using thick-film production techniques, in which an array of fine current-collector fingers are deposited on the top side of the substrate, an aluminum metallization layer applied to the bottom side, and then a series of wider bus bars created for electrical interconnection purposes. Screening and stencils are used for making these 100 µm thin bus bars. Circuits Assembly JULY 2008 27 circuitsassembly.com http://smta.org/smtai http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - July 2008

Circuits Assembly - July 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business Global Sourcing On the Forefront Screen Printing Tech Tips Will Electronics Follow the Sun? ‘Warm’ Manufacturing Heats Up Reputation Trumps Recession, China ‘Web Circuits’ A Novel Non-VOC Conformal Coating Krypton: Benchmarking Customer Satisfaction 2008-09 CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Buyers Guide Wave Soldering Pb-Free Lessons Learned Process Doctor Materials World SMTA Int'l Product Preview Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - July 2008

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