Germany-based Heraeus Holding GmbH on October 2 started production of PV silver conductive paste at a factory in northern Taiwan to supply to Taiwan-based crystalline silicon solar cell makers,according to Tobias Caspari,the company's general manager for PV in Asia.
Heraeus has a global market share of about 40%for PV silver conductive paste and a market share of 50-60%in Taiwan,Caspari indicated.In addition to silver paste,the factory will also produce silver-aluminum paste,Caspari said.The factory's monthly production capacity is about two tons based on one-shift operation and can be increased to 20 tons based on 3-shift operation,Caspari pointed out.
While international prices for silver has risen by 25%in recent weeks,Heraeus has been making R&D efforts to reduce usage of silver,according to Caspari.In 2012 the company has managed to reduce the amount of silver by 15%while maintaining comparable efficiency for solar cells,Caspari indicated.
As PV conductive paste takes up one-third of the production cost of solar cells,solar cell makers hope that prices for such materials are not influenced by fluctuation in silver price,said CEO Chang Peng-heng for Taiwan-based solar cell maker Motech Industries.
