Automotive Wafers

Besides the huge and ongoing boom of standard photovoltaic modules, used mainly for grid-connected electricity generation, there are also some other commercially interesting applications for solar cells made from silicon wafers. One such additional market is that of photovoltaic car roofs: the usage of solar cells in car roofs offers uninterrupted strong ventilation of a parked car whenever the sun is shining, leading to much more agreeable temperatures for passengers and materials inside the car.

This special application presents special requirements for the wafers from which car roof cells are fabricated: an unusal format of 100 mm x 100 mm square because the space on a car roofs is limited, and a very regular format and appearance because the solar cell is in the immediate field of view of the car owner.

Swiss Wafers is the main producer of these wafers for the supply of German car production. The wafers are produced from monocrystalline (Czochralski) Ingots.