New Industry Products

Evergreen Solar Introduces New Series Of String Ribbon™ Solar Panels

June 25, 2008 by Jeff Shepard

Evergreen Solar, Inc. introduced its new ES-A series of solar panels. This new line of 200, 205 and 210W solar panels are said to feature the most powerful products Evergreen Solar has produced. And with a -0, +5W specification, the ES-A Series also provides the best power tolerance currently available in the industry.

The ES-A series is a range of String Ribbon™ solar panels are said to offer exceptional performance, cost effective installation and industry-leading environmental credentials. Based on customer input, these panels feature new extended length cables that can eliminate home-run wiring, new clickable connectors that the company claims make connections between panels quick and reliable, as well as a new low voltage configuration that is said to enable the most cost-effective commercial-scale installations.

All Evergreen Solar panels are constructed using its "String Ribbon" technology which is described as the most environmentally-friendly process in the industry with virtually no wasted silicon. The carbon footprint of these panels is said to be up to 50% smaller than that of its competitors’. These solar panels are also said to have the quickest energy payback, now as fast as 12 months for installed panels.

"The ES-A Series further positions Evergreen Solar as a leader in producing powerful, efficient, and environmentally-friendly solar panels," said Dr. Terry Bailey, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales. "These panels are our most powerful solar panels to date with the tightest power tolerance in the industry meaning our customers get optimal system performance. At the same time, we are proud to lead the industry in environmental credentials with the smallest carbon footprint and the quickest energy payback available today."

The new ES-A series panels are the first production using the company’s Quad furnace which creates four silicon "ribbons" simultaneously and uses state of the art automated ribbon-cutting technology. The Quad furnaces will be used for all of the company’s production in its new manufacturing plant in Devens, Massachusetts scheduled to start panel production by July of this year.

In the String Ribbon process, a set of special parallel strings are pulled continuously through a small molten pool of silicon inside a custom furnace. A thin "ribbon" is created between the two strings as the silicon cools and re-crystallizes. The ribbon is then cut into wafers, which are converted into solar cells and used in the production of solar panels – all under one roof. The process is said to be continuous, clean and efficient.