> M. Ruud Boomsma, head of management team

Ruurd Boomsma - has been with Energo Solar since September 2007 after two years as an independent solar industry advisor and risk analysis consultant. The Dutch executive’s carreer spans some 20 years in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry. He worked at Balzers (now called OC Oerlikon) where he was responsible for a turnaround of the Materials Division, and subsequent sale of related business units. He also served as Division Manager LCD Display Division leading revenue growth and Asian expansion. Before that he worked in management roles across Europe for Buhrs Zaandam BV, Hauzer Techno Coating, Materials Research Corporation, and ASM International.

Please tell our readers more about Energo solar

We’re focusing on our customers, such as Bangkok Solar and Solarpro in Bulgaria, rather than on advertising and marketing,» says Ruurd Boomsma, who heads up the management team at Energo. He mentions 3 other customer wins in China. «There is already enough hype in the thin film solar market, without us adding to it. Besides, the people that need us know where we are,» added Boomsma. The Energo executive’s name will be familiar to readers as he was head of Oerlikon Solar until 2004, after championing to that company’s management board its entry into solar markets.

Also different from the competition is the size of Energo’s turnkey line offer. It is quite a bit smaller, a 6MW line, as are its panels (1245 x 635 x 7 mm). «Current customers typically buy in 18 MW packages,» comments Boomsma, which he said enables them to add industry-grade third party glass preparation and washing equipment to the line.

One place where it is bigger is on the money its customers can save by adopting its technology. Energo Solar claims it has the lowest cost per Watt in terms of investment and in terms of operating costs. «We have very detailed calculations based on real production data from factories that are running,» says Boomsma.

So how does it get to this lower cost claim? «Our deposition solution uses between 50 percent and 25 percent less silane gas for amorphous silicon PVs compared to other systems. What is more, the CVD chambers do not require NF3 or SF6 gases for cleaning. It’s an all glass chamber with no ceramics or aluminum exposed to deposition materials buildup,» explains Boomsma.

Low power consumption is also an advantage. «One PECVD RF generator can drive four glass [substrates],» says Boomsma. But how can Energo compete with firms that offer larger turnkey solutions and larger module sizes? «We are at the very beginning of it all. There is room for Energo. And there are customers that want smaller lines,» says Boomsma.

Energo Solar’s thin film panels have a 5.5 percent efficiency rate based on this formula: outside dimensions of production module divided by the stabilized power output. «We prefer this metric to efficiency ratings measured in the lab or pilot line modules,» said Boomsma. The company also benefits from lower labor costs afforded by its Eastern European production and operations.

A R&D focused on cost reduction

Current R&D activity is done with its own 6MW line located 50 km north of Budapest in Rétság, Hungary. The focus is on pushing costs down further by reducing maintenance requirements, increasing automation and throughput speeds, as well as introducing alternative material mixes and different TCOs, for example, to boost cell efficiency into the 6 percent to 6.5 percent range. It is also attempting to transfer its processes to microcrystalline technology, specifically it is evaluating material concepts to establish cost effective deposition of microcrystalline’s much thicker layers. «This would enable a cost-attractive module,» says Boomsma. The firm’s first priority though is developing a «truly low cost» deposition tool.

A rare mix of international experience

Energo is privately-owned and has grown to its current size, employing 130 people, without raising venture capital. It was financed by Hungarian private investors who now own 75 percent of the company. The remaining 25 percent is owned by management. The firm’s holding company is in Switzerland, with operational companies in Budapest and Rétság, Hungary.

Energo was founded in late 2004, but traces its roots to Dunasolar, a Hungarian solar cell manufacturer, founded back in 1995, whose assets were acquired in 2004 by Bangkok Solar.

R&D might go a bit faster if the firm would raise venture capital. «We are open to external financing, but it is not something we are actively seeking,» commented Boomsma. The management team has a rare mix of international experience and successful thin film module process know-how. Besides Boomsma, the management team includes Tamas Strausz and Jeno Gyimesi who head up the process business. Strausz and Gyimesi started up the operations of Dunasolar.

Gyimesi then moved to Bangkok Solar to build up its first production lines and then onto Energo where he has been since its early days. The production side of the business is headed up by Csaba Kormoczi and Attila Keglovics who have high-tech product manufacturing and Chinese solar fab experience, respectively. The firm’s holding company is in Switzerland, with operational companies in Budapest and Rétság, Hungary .