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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jacq who wrote (7558)	2/19/2004 3:16:03 AM
From: alfranco	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Increased throughput and efficiency Stan mentioned he is working on increased throughput in the CC today. I called to ask if he was referring to yield or rate. His secretary called me back to relay the message from Stan that yield is excellent and that the increased throughput referred to increasing the linear rate. This is the first time I can recall work being done to increase the PV roll to roll feed rate. The 5MW ran at 2 feet per minute and 30MW is set the same. I’ve transcribed Stan’s comments below. Stan has talked about increased efficiencies from the new machine for over a year, however I don’t think I heard Stan mention a figure or range for the 30MW this time. To date, Unisolar has chosen not to rerate its’ panels to reflect any increase in efficiency. I’ve been waiting for rerating for quite a while. If the efficiency is higher on the 30MW, as we have been told repeatedly, and panels are commonly sold on a $/watt basis, then Unisolar is underselling its’ panels wattage and undercutting revenues directly tied to negotiated $/watt solar panel charges. Perhaps, in certain instances, this is offset in total design/installation projects where design costs/inverters/balance of systems/installation are bundled together with overall higher margins for Unisolar. Few quotes from the CC during Joe Conway’s questions with answers from Stan, Stempel & Metzger ~48:10 Stan: No, we had 13% that we have shown for our product in the lab (My note: 13% stabilized efficiency on small lab-sized cells was confirmed by the NREL and reported by Unisolar in June 1997) and what I said is that what I’m working on now is to increase the throughput as Bob said which all goes to the bottom line by things we can do with our plasma and at the same time increase the efficiency which goes to the bottom line and doing that can bring us up to the equivalent of 15% in the future. (My note: typically faster throughput via faster deposition has resulted in lower efficiencies, to date, at Unisolar. Still Stan says he’s working on increased throughput and efficiency and ends with “doing that can bring us up to the equivalent of 15% in the future.” That “equivalent of 15%” is unusual phrasing and I’m a little mystified by his odd word choice… it makes me think that he is considering something else that wasn’t mentioned at all) Joe: but my question is has any of that translated to the new machine yet? Stan: No the uhh the… Yes the new machine starts, Yes the first thing that I did I called it a poor(?) cathode I wanted to put it in our machines. This is the 8th generation, it was the first time it was put into the 30MW and results have been very dramatic in that we got a step function increase in efficiency immediately showing that the principles were doing well but we do not interfere in development, we do not interfere with the production machine whatsoever. In other words, it’s on the side, with very few people, doing very well. Stempel: Joe, we’re keeping those developments separate and we’re doing that in a separate chamber and then at the right time we’ll phase that into the machine ------------------------ ~55:45 Stan: And by the way having faster throughput goes right to the bottom line and drops the cost. The two things that I’m working on are both the increased throughput through the machine as well as increased efficiency. ------------------------ Al