Availability of Solar Grade Silicon – A Critical Issue for the Further Growth of the Photovoltaic Industry

摘要

During the past decade, the global photovoltaic industry has grown significantly. Crystalline silicon is the dominating technology for PV, covering close to 90% of all PV produced. This growth has been possible because feedstock for crystalline silicon wafers and cells has been available as scrap material from the semiconductor industry. During the past decade, however, the semiconductor industry has not expanded with the same speed as the PV industry. Therefore, the global PV industry is coming to a critical point where the growth no longer can be sustained by scrap material from the semiconductor industry. Therefore, other sources of feedstock for PV industry have to be developed. This paper reviews the present situation and the future expectations in terms of availability of high purity solar grade silicon from existing production units and planned projects. Data from the semiconductor industry as well as dedicated solar grade producers are presented.