Market Survey Backsheets 2018-TaiyangNews.pdf

Authors Shravan K. Chunduri, Michael Schmela Market Survey Backsheets 20182 TaiyangNews | Backsheets 2018 TaiyangNews 2018 All rights reserved. The text, photos and graphs in this report are copyrighted cover photo credit Cybrid. TaiyangNews does not guarantee reliability, accuracy or completeness of this reports content. TaiyangNews does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors in this work. Publisher TaiyangNews UG haftungsbeschraenkt Montsalvatstr. 15 80804 Munich, Germany www.taiyangnews.info TAIYANGNEWS ALL ABOUT SOLAR POWER Click on the chapter or the sub-chapter you want to explore. AGFA p. 3 ZTT p. 4 DuPont p. 7 SNEC p. 15 Cybrid p. 17 Arkema p. 19 SolarPower Europe p. 31 Jolywood p. 44 Longi p. 67 Advertisers Contents 01 Introduction 6 02 Overview Basics of Backsheets Types of Backsheets History of Backsheets Selection Backsheets Suppliers of Backsheets 8 16 03 Backsheet Market Update 04 Components of Backsheets Core Layers Outer Protective Layers Coating Based Backsheets Inner Layers Atypical Backsheet Designs Developments in Brief 20 05 Product Descriptions 33 06 Conclusions 44 07 Product Specification Tables 46THE SINGLE-LAYER BACKSHEET FOR SUSTAINED MODULE PERFORMANCE NO BACKSHEET DELAMINATION HIGHEST REFLECTIVITY* SUSTAINABLE COST DOWN ROADMAP HALL W4–003 V I S I T U S A T THE NEXT-GEN BACKSHEET No laminated layers WWW.AGFA.COM/UNIQOAT *Based on solar weighted reflection in the range 380 nm - 1100 nm per ISO 90502003 method used by TV SD Chine e.g. SNEC 2018 PV POWER EXPO4 TaiyangNews | Backsheets 2018 Executive Summary Backsheets are the backbone of module reliability. These films, typically made of polymer composites, are one of the most important process consumables in module assembly. Thus they influence the costs as well as the reliability of the solar module. For our second market survey on backsheets 12 suppliers have responded by providing the data for 62 products in total. For our second market survey on backsheets 12 companies have responded Agfa-Gevaert NV, Belgium Aluminium Fron GmbH Co. KG, Germany Crown Advanced Material Co. Ltd, China Cybrid Technologies Inc, China Hangzhou First PV Material Co., Ltd, China Jingmao Technology Co., Ltd, China Krempel GmbH, Germany Jolywood Suzhou Sunwatt Co., Ltd, China Royal DSM Group, The Netherlands Shingi Urja, India Toyal Zhaoqing Co., Ltd, China ZTT Group, China The above list of participating companies in this year’s survey has 6 new entries compared to the previous publication, for which 8 companies sent us their product specs. The new entrants to the survey are AGFA, Crown, Jingmao, Shingi, Toyal and ZTT. The listed products in our survey are based on various film configurations – from 1 to several layers, films and coatings. The choice for the polymer chemistry is also quite wide. A typical backsheet has a 3 layered structure, in which the PET core film is sandwiched between two protective layers. Based on the chemistry of the protective layers, the backsheets can be roughly segmented into 2 categories Fluoropolymer based backsheets contain at least one fluoropolymer film to protect the PET core, while non-fluoropolymer based backsheets are free from halogen components. Our 2018 survey includes 62 products, with 41 in the fluorosegment and 21 in the non-fluoro segment. Not only the products listed in our survey, but also the market is clearly dominated by fluoropolymers. Based on conversations with many backsheet players, we estimate that the total backsheet market in 2017 was indeed dominated by PVDF with a share of around 50, while Tedlar reached between 25 to 30. Non-fluoropolymers accounted for around 15 and coatings based solutions catered to about 5 to 10 of module production. Backsheets 2018 | TaiyangNews 5 t Enjoy reading our report Market Survey on Backsheets 2018 Shravan K. Chunduri Head of Technology, TaiyangNews shravan.chunduritaiyangnews.info 91 996 327 0005 Hyderabad, India Michael Schmela Managing Director, TaiyangNews michael.schmelataiyangnews.info 49 173 15 70 999 Munich, Germany When it comes to the outer protective layers, backsheets start to branch out into several segments and sub-species. In China, there is an industry wide belief that the outer backsheet layer should be a fluoropolymer to provide sufficient UV stability. When it comes to choosing the outer layer, it is mostly PVF Tedlar or PVDF Kynar is also a PVDF composite. Tedlar from DuPont has the longest history as a protective layer in solar modules. PVDF is an alternative – with its main advantage that there is no exclusivity. Kynar, supplied by French chemical corporation Arkema, is an advanced version of standard PVDF films, which is based on a 3 layer structure. Significant advances in polyester chemistry and film production engineering have allowed the development and commercialization of highly UV durable polyester PET films, which have been offered as a lower cost alternative to fluoropolymer- based backsheets, but face increasing pressure from PVDF and other low-cost products. Coatings based backheets are another alternative to film based backsheets in today’s market. Coatings are available as both fluoro and non- fluoro variants. While Jolywood and Hangzhou First are offering backsheets based on fluoro chemistry, Feron and newcomer AGFA are following the non-fluoro path. The advantage of a monolayer design, promoted by AGFA, is its feature of being a truly single layer backsheet, which eliminates any risk of delamination within the backsheet. Regarding the inner layers of backsheets, Cybrid has developed its so-called fluorine skin, which is facing to the cell side of the backsheet, while a PVDF film is used for the outer side. This solution avoids using expensive fluoropolymer films on the cell side while providing sufficient UV protection with its fluorine coating from the inside. Other newcomers to our survey are DSM and Shingi, which have developed atypical compositions – both producing their films with co-extrusion processes. DSM is offering a solution using polyamide top layers, a polypropylene based core- layer, and an polyolefinic inner layer, while Shingi is offering all polyolefin based backsheets. To summarize, the major backsheet configurations in today’s market are manifold TPT, TPE, TPC, KPK, KPE, KPf, KPx, PPE, CPC, AOE and OOO – and module manufacturers have a huge choice to select from, as can be seen from the descriptions of the different backsheets products in Chapter 5 and the tables with technical specs in Chapter 7. Download your free copy of the TaiyangNews Reports and Market Surveys on our website www.taiyangnews.info www.taiyangnews.com.cn and wechat Channel 微信公众号 WeChat6 TaiyangNews | Backsheets 2018 Making a solar panel weather resistant is one of the crucial integral parts of module manufacturing, even more important than making a good electrical circuitry. No matter how good the interconnection process is, it has to be strongly protected from environmental assaults in the long run. A solar module has to stay outdoors and has to survive all weathering conditions throughout the warranted performance tenure, which is usually 25 years. In order to provide protection over such a long period of time, the solar panel design usually consists of a glass as front cover and a backsheet on the rear side. These two components along with two other polymer wraps protect the electrically connected solar cells from the environment. In other words, backsheets are the backbone of module reliability. These films are typically made of polymer composites. As with every component in solar cells and modules, backsheets are expected to provide better performance while cost needs to continue to go down. Indeed, several product developments are happening in the field of backsheets. While typical backsheets come with a three-layer polymer film design, dual and monolayers are also available. And there is a wide choice of polymer chemistries to choose from for the components of backsheets. Since the role of backsheet is all about protecting from weathering, the backsheet can be selected according to the environmental conditions of the installation sites. New module technologies such as bifacial require a special type of transparent backsheets. The suppliers of backsheets are increasingly coming up with interesting configurations and compositions to satisfy different needs and budgets of module makers. While TaiyangNews has published a pure market survey on backsheets in 2017, this 2nd market survey on backsheets provides an overview on the recent developments in the field of these rear protection films of the solar modules. 1. Introduction Source Jingmao Making of backsheets A typical backsheet is made by combining three different polymer layers – an outer protective layer, a core layer and an inner EVA adhesive layer. Pictured is backsheet production equipment at the facility of Chinese company Jingmao.Why trust your solar investment to yesterday’s PV testing standards Introducing MAST. Module Accelerated Sequential T esting for PV module performance. Y esterday’s testing methods are not demanding enough to measure real-world conditions and the impacts of long-term aging on PV modules. That’s why we’ve introduced MAST. MAST consists of a series of sequential stress tests in damp heat, repeated UVA exposure and multiple thermal stress cycles designed to reflect in-field conditions. MAST will help ensure that you get the most out of your PV system with improved electrical safety, reduced ground faults, increased system availability and lower operational costs. Materials Matter ™ photovoltaics.dupont.com Copyright 2018 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont ™ , Materials Matter ™ and Tedlar are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.8 TaiyangNews | Backsheets 2018 The module backsheet has two basic functions – a proper electrical insulation is necessary as several cells and modules are connected in series, which leads to high operational voltages. The other main job is to block moisture ingression, because all connectors in the module are made of metal, which corrode when exposed to water vapor. 2.1 Basics of Backsheets Polyester film PET is a suitable and very cost effective material to accomplish the job of a solar module backsheet as it fulfills both main criteria – it exhibits good electrical insulation and water vapor barrier properties. However, PET has one drawback – weak UV stability. For this reason, backsheets typically follow a three-layer structure. Two additional films sandwiching PET are used mainly to protect the core from UV induced degradation. Based on this basic backsheet template, companies have developed numerous backsheet configurations using various polymer chemistries. Recently, some companies even started offering backheet products that are using alternate polymers instead of PET as core layers. 2. Overview Various structures The backsheets market offers a large variety of product configurations to choose from – and it is constantly growing. Note *While KPK is a trademark of Arkema, today the abbreviation KPK is not only used for Kynar/PET/Kynar structures but often used for any PVDF/PET/PVDF solar backsheet structures as well. Air side Core layer Cell side Air side Core layer Cell side BACKSHEET STRUCTURE Air side Core layer Cell side Tedlar PET Tedlar Tedlar PVF / PET / Tedlar PVF TPT Kynar / PVDF PET Kynar / PVDF Kynar PVDF / PET / Kynar PVDF KPK* PVDF PET Any polymer film PVDF / PET/ Any other polymer KPx Tedlar PET Polyethylene Tedlar PVF / PET / Polyethylene TPE Kynar PET Polyethylene PVDF or Kynar /PET/ Polyethylene KPE Kynar PET Fluorine skin Kynar /PET/ Fluorine skin KPf Tedlar PET Coating Tedlar PVF / PET / Coating TPC Tedlar PET Any polymer film Tedlar PVF / PET / Any other polymer TPX PET PET Polyethylene PET / PET / Polyethylene PPE Coating PET Coating Coating / PET/ Coating CPC Polyamide Polyolefin Polyethylene Polyamide / Polyolefin / Polyethylene AOE Polyolefin Polyolefin Polyolefin Polyolefin / Polyolefin / Polyolefin OOO Source TaiyangNews 2018Backsheets 2018 | TaiyangNews 9 2.2 Types of Backsheets The current market of backsheets offers a variety of products with different configurations – from 1 to several layers – of different polymers. In addition to using different chemistries, the suppliers are developing different configurations, such as employing inexpensive materials for inner linings and coatings instead of films. By and large, backsheets can be classified into two streams – fluoropolymers and non-fluoropolymers. Backsheet suppliers are also working on some innovative concepts, such as transparent and structured backsheets. 2.3 History of backsheets Since the early days of PV to a decade back, backsheets had a typical structure – fluoropolymer / core PET layer / fluoropolymer. The first backsheet composition for PV module application was the so- called TPT configuration, in which T stands for Tedlar and P for Polyester. Tedlar is the commercial name for polyvinyl fluoride PVF. Tedlar films are being supplied exclusively by US-based chemical giant DuPont. There was even a time, when Tedlar was used synonymously for backsheet. Later, backsheets using polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF entered the market. Chemical company Arkema, headquartered in France, developed a special three-layer PVDF film with the brand name Kynar. The back sheets based on Kynar also follow a similar structure, abbreviated as KPK. Around 2005/2006, US company Madico introduced an innovative structure to replace the inner fluoropolymer layer with a polyethylene film, commonly referred as “E or Primer” layer. The idea behind this was that the inner UV blocker film is not required, as the inner layer is exposed to much less UV. The cumulative UV exposure of the inner film is about 1/10 of the outer layer of the backsheet, thus it is not necessary to use an expensive fluoropolymer film. The inner layer has just one function – creating a good bond between EVA on the cell side and the core layer of the backsheet, which is very well taken care by the “E” layer. More than cost, it was also the short supply of Tedlar that motivated Madico to develop this TPE film configuration. At the time, DuPont was not able to cope with a sudden strongly growing demand for its original Tedlar product. However, the TPE configuration reduced the usage of the fluoropolymer film by half per backsheet. Following Madico’s lead, many other companies started replacing the comparatively costly fluoropolymer film with low cost polyethylene. The resulting shift to a TPE configuration was not just limited to Tedlar, but also spread to backheets based on other well-known fluoropolymers, such as Kynar and PVDF, which were already available in the meant