01Sunwire® News Spring 2015WWW.LUVATA.COM

Sunwire®NewsSpring 2015

The newsletter for Luvata’s Sunwire photovoltaic wirewww.luvata.com/sunwire-news

By Michael Nordgren

There are some people within the PV industry who perceive solar ribbon as just a commodity product, where all units of production are fully interchangeable or identical regardless of who produces them. Without a doubt, today the speed from launch to maturity is faster than ever before.

To be a differentiated product, a company’s product is different than those of its competitors. Considering it often takes PV module manufactures 6-8 months to qualify a new ribbon supplier, doesn’t this alone attest that solar ribbon isn’t a commodity product just yet?

Even when a raw material has no value added and quality standards are set by the industry, there is still plenty of opportunity for differentiation. A manufacturer or supplier can differentiate themselves with product availability, delivery, shipment quantities, payment terms, innovation and all the other services that accompany the core product.

In reading our Technology Corner on the following page you will see there remains a significant difference in the raw materials that are used to make solar ribbon. Since 2008, Luvata has grown from one PV solar ribbon manufacturing location to four on three continents today. Without a doubt, Sunwire’s evolution continues with ongoing improvements in yield strength, straightness, power output and elongation that help to differentiate it from other solar ribbons.

So do I agree that solar ribbon is quickly becoming a commodity product? Not in the least.

Is solar ribbon a commodity product?

02 Sunwire® News Spring 2015 WWW.LUVATA.COM

Technology Corner

By Dr. Terhi Glas, Development Manager Luvata Pori

The term oxygen-free (OF-OK) copper means that the material contains only trace amounts of oxygen without any deoxidants. At Luvata, each casting of OF-OK is made under highly controlled and optimum conditions. This leads to the lowest variation in mechanical and chemical properties and therefore high consistency of the end product. OF-OK behaves exactly the same way in the manufacturing process and in the corresponding application year after year.

Homogeneous structure.Inhomogeneous casting structures with oxides and pores decrease formability and thus the quality of the end product. Contrary to oxygen bearing coppers such as Cu-ETP, OF-OK has no pores in the cast state and no oxide inclusions. OF-OK has a single phase structure without any inclusions, whereas Cu-ETP contains two phases: copper and copper oxide.

Electrical conductivityMetals in general have high electrical conductivities because of the metal bond and the large number of free electrons. Among metals, the electrical conductivity of copper is very high due to its electron configuration. The purity of Luvata’s oxygen-free copper guarantees the best and most uniform electrical conductivity among coppers.

Superior formabilityThe metallurgical reason behind the excellent formability of copper is its lattice structure. The way the atoms are packed with only a small amount of impurities allow OF-OK to be deformed up to 99%. When compared to oxygen bearing coppers, the single phase oxygen-free copper does not contain any disruptions in the structure and therefore its formability is very good.

Elongation & SoftnessThe manufacturing process of Sunwire PV ribbon maximizes the benefits of OF-OK copper to deliver an exceptional combination of both softness and elongation within the same ribbon. These mechanical properties are interrelated and originating from metallurgical features that can be controlled with optimal process parameters.

Fatigue strengthPV ribbon has to withstand cyclic loads resulting from daily temperature changes. Fatigue strength of oxygen-free Sunwire PV ribbon was studied at the Tampere University of Technology and the results showed that its electrical conductivity remained unchanged well beyond a module panel’s estimated 30-year life. The Sunwire PV ribbon endured cyclic loads corresponding to more than 100 years without breaking.

Resistant to hydrogen embrittlementHydrogen embrittlement is caused by the reaction between oxygen in the material and incoming hydrogen from the reducing atmosphere. At elevated temperatures this reaction produces water vapor that precipitates at grain boundaries and causes embrittlement. The oxygen content of OF-OK Sunwire is so low that the material is immune to hydrogen embrittlement.

The benefits of oxygen-free copper in the manufacture of PV Ribbon

Figure 2 – Higher reduction of area of OF-OK compared to ETP

Figure 3 – Microstructures of OF-OK and ETP resulting from heat treatment in atmosphere containing hydrogen. Severe embrittlement of the ETP oxygen-bearing material can be seen.

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Figure 1 – Variation of electrical conductivity of OF-OK and Cu-ETP

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03Sunwire® News Spring 2015WWW.LUVATA.COM

Meet a Sunwire Team Member

Name: Alson Tang, Business Director Photovoltaic Asian

Tell us a little bit about yourself.I started with the company as a Sales Engineer in 1995. This September I will have twenty years with the company. I’ve worked with anodes, chemicals and electronics cooling. For the past five years I’ve been working to develop our team and grow our Sunwire business in Asia. I live in the little red dot country of Singapore with my lovely wife and two children.

What is the best part about your job?Being part of the success in bringing high-quality solar ribbon to cost-conscious customers in Asia.

What is something not many people know about you?I was a German Shepherd dog handler while serving 2-years in the army. It was a rare opportunity that today helps me to understand the importance of trust, whether it’s in my role as a husband, parent or sales person.

What are a few of your hobbies?I enjoy swimming and speed walking. More recently I’ve started to collect memorial and educational coins, some through the help of my Sunwire colleagues like the U.S. President’s $1 coins. I also collect natural stones during my travels.

What are three items you can’t live without?Family, work and a good book. A good book comes in handy when I’m not with my family or working.

Do you have a hidden or secret talent?I used to be pretty good at drawing and painting. Hopefully this is something I can work on again when I retire.

04 Sunwire® News Spring 2015 WWW.LUVATA.COM

Luvata, an early pioneer in the photovoltaic industry, manufactures solar ribbon branded Sunwire®. Sunwire is compatible with both thin film technology and crystalline silicon and is used as both an interconnecting ribbon and a cross-connecting ribbon.

By implementing identical processes at all four of its Sunwire facilities, this enables Luvata to manufacture exactly the same product with the same consistent quality, along with local customer service and technical support.

Luvata Sunwire®

2015

June 10-12 InterSolar Europe 2015, Munich, Germany www.intersolar.de/en

Sept 15-17 EU PVSEC 2015, Hamburg, Germany www.photovoltaic-conference.com/

Sept 23-25 9th Renewable Energy India Expo, Greater Noida, India www.ubmindia.in/renewable_energy/home

Upcoming Events

Luvata Sunwire® Manufacturing Facilities:● Luvata Pori Oy Kuparitie

P.O. Box 60 FI-28101 Pori Finland

Phone: +358 2 626 6111

● Luvata Suzhou Ltd. 53 Sanzhuang Street

Weiting Town Suzhou Industrial Park Jiangsu Province, 215121 China

Phone: +86 512 6285 1018

● Luvata Appleton 553 Carter Court

Kimberly WI 54136 USA

Phone: +920 749 3820 or Toll Free: +800 749 5510

● Luvata Malaysia Sdn Bhd PLO 573 Jalan Keluli 10

Kawasan Perindustrian 81700 Pasir Gudang, Johor Malaysia

Phone: +607 252 6688

6,300 employees37 production facilities18 countries

Luvata AppletonLuvata Pori Oy

Luvata Suzhou Ltd.

Luvata Malaysia Sdn Bhd

Go to www.luvata.com for a complete listing of all our locations.

Go to www.luvata.com/sunwire-news for the online version of this newsletter.