Several industry metrics show the bottom may have been reached in the photovoltaic production market, and survivors may be ready to make capital investments to increase capacity in key factories. Importantly, manufacturers are looking to increase production efficiencies and reduce costs in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Solar Industry asked Peter Pauli, CEO of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd. of Thun, Switzerland, about the current state of PV manufacturing. Pauli, a Swiss citizen, heads up one of the world’s foremost PV equipment suppliers, employing about 1,700 people in Europe, Asia and North America. He confirms that the solar manufacturers seem to have shaken off the doldrums of the last couple of years and are ready to invest in increased capacity and new technologies.

Solar Industry: Meyer Burger offers equipment for the production of solar wafers, as well as for solar cells and solar modules - essentially the entire production portion of the supply chain. How important are each of these segments to the company’s solar strategy, and have these segments shown any shift over time?

Peter Pauli: We at Meyer Burger will continue to strategically focus on the entire PV value chain in the future, and we will further update our integrated manufacturing solutions to ensure that our customers can benefit from additional efficiency improvements and reduce the production costs for wafers, cells and modules - which results from the seamless integration of all steps within the PV value chain. The new technologies will generate more kWh per module and, above all, drive down cost/kWh, which today is already lower than the manufacturing costs of conventional energies.

SI: Describe how changing technologies in the manufacture of silicon and thin-film solar PV products affect Meyer Burger’s approach to product development. How has the emphasis on specific technologies changed the emphasis the company places on its product development efforts?

Pauli: Meyer Burger is staying ahead of the market by delivering leading-edge solutions for customers in existing solar markets, as well as for new customers in emerging markets with our next-generation photovoltaic technologies, such as our heterojunction technology (HJT), SmartWire connection technology (SWCT) and diamond wire technology for cutting ultra-thin, high-quality wafers. At the same time, our industry-tested upgrade technologies, such as the Meyer Burger Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (MB-PERC) and the 5-busbar technology, are leading examples of how we can enable established cell and module manufacturers to retrofit their standard solar cell process in a continuous production environment in order to significantly improve the efficiency of their modules.

SI: Recently, Meyer Burger called on HJT for the manufacture of high-efficiency cells and the MB-PERC upgrade technology for existing cell lines - key technologies for the company for coating high-efficiency solar cells. Describe the state of these technologies in Meyer Burger with regard to its manufacturing products.

Pauli: Evolutionary technologies like MB-PERC can upgrade existing production facilities in order to considerably increase output and energy generation. The possibility of upgrading a production facility offers our customers a high degree of investment security. High-performance technologies such as HJT cell design or SWCT offer groundbreaking ways to reduce the levelized cost of electricity in photovoltaics. All of these technologies are industrially proven and already installed in our customers’ industrial manufacturing facilities.

SI: Meyer Burger highlights its SWCT as a cost-effective method of connecting solar cells. How important is production cost in the overall scheme of solar power? How does developing more cost-effective technologies for producing PV products fit into Meyer Burger’s product development strategy?

Pauli: As I mentioned earlier, new technologies such as HJT and SWCT will generate more kWh per module and, above all, drive down manufacturing and cost/kWh - which is critically important for the future of solar energy and is also a cornerstone of Meyer Burger’s future oriented PV strategy.

SI: According to a report from NPD Solarbuzz, solar PV manufacturing equipment suppliers have rounded the bottom of the industry’s slump and are forecast to embark on an upturn in 2015. A rosy scenario sees capital spending in the solar manufacturing sector reaching $10 billion in 2017. Are you also optimistic that the manufacturing sector may have seen the floor and that better days are ahead?

Pauli: It really does seem that the crisis in the solar sector, which has been ongoing for over two years, appears to be easing. Meyer Burger is seeing a real increase in project activity in the global PV market, and we continue to view the long-term trend for solar energy as an important component in the future energy supply as positive. With our broad product portfolio and global presence, we are convinced that we are well placed to benefit over the long term from a general increase in demand for PV equipment and technology.

SI: IHS has reported that PV capital spending in capacity from emerging economies is likely to be an important part of any manufacturing recovery. How important is local manufacture and/or assembly in emerging solar markets to your global strategy?

Pauli: We also recognize that the PV market has already evolved into a global sales market and that over the long term, countries in the world’s “sun belt” region will play a very important role in the manufacturing future of photovoltaics. Meyer Burger is developing this global potential by targeting the relevant growth markets. In the newer markets, our focus is on large-scale local solar generation projects where we can address customers’ specific requirements by deploying fully integrated production lines and comprehensive technological know-how.

SI: Research and development has historically been an important aspect of any manufacturing company’s success. How does Meyer Burger work with research institutions at both the government and university levels to continue to improve the state of technology development on the solar manufacturing sector? Is there still room for pure research, or must all research have clear practical and commercial benefits?

Pauli: Meyer Burger works closely with renowned research institutes around the world in order to ensure the continued development and enhancement of our future-oriented PV technologies. All of our research projects are aimed at generating greater energy performance and manufacturing benefits for customers while promoting the development of industrially applicable, innovative solar technology. Pure research also plays an important role and offers new ideas to the industry - the most promising of which can be incorporated in the industrial research environment.

SI: Are you finding that universities, colleges and technical schools are producing enough qualified employees to handle the demands of solar manufacturing technology, going forward? Where do you see room for improvement, and what can be done?

Pauli: Photovoltaics is a relatively new field, and it is important to support the development of technology talent within the market. Meyer Burger trains apprentices in a variety of technological professions at a number of its manufacturing locations in Switzerland and Germany, with the aim of building up qualified employees with a strong knowledge of PV technology. R