Photovoltaic manufacturing technology (PVMAT) improvements for ENTECH’s concentrator module

With significant assistance from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), Sandia National Labs (Sandia), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), our technical team has been developing, field‐testing, refining, and commercializing linear Fresnel lens photovoltaic concentrator technology for the past 15 years (Table I). In 1991 we completed Phase 1 of a DOE‐sponsored Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) project. We are now performing Phase 2A of our PVMaT project. The key objective of our PVMaT project is to design, develop, and implement improved manufacturing processes for our fourth‐generation concentrator module. The improved processes are being engineered to simultaneously achieve enhanced product quality (i.e., improved module efficiency, reliability, and field lifetime), higher production volume (10 MV/year initial rate), and lower production costs ($1.25/W_peak goal). Under our PVMaT project, we have made significant improvements in manufacturing technology for our fourth‐generation concentrator module, and the key results to date are summarized in the following paragraphs.