No abstract

Plant and machinery manufacturers face a turbulent market in the photovoltaic industry after years of growth. The core problem is cost-reduction pressure from conventional energy sources (0.05 € / kWh) as opposed to photovoltaic (0.13 € / kWh for Germany, respectively) [1]. Prevailing competitive pressure on producers, plant manu facturers and suppliers is reflected in an innovation race. The objective of all these projects is to increase the degree of cell effectiveness while at the same time reducing manufacturing costs. Cell concepts that complement existing plant technology, thereby breaking through insuperable effectiveness limits using productivity optimization, offer a starting point here.