To start with, the new thin-film ASI F-90 module now being introduced to the market generates nominal output of around 86 watts. This performance will gradually increase to approach 100 watts over the next few years. Particularly with roofs that do not face exactly the right direction or offer the perfect angle, or when temperatures rise significantly, independent studies show that ASI® modules deliver as much as 10 percent more power per watt than crystalline modules. With voltage of 17 Volts (V), the ASI F-90 is particularly well-suited for 12 V design stand-alone applications. Due to its dimensions, it also represents an interesting net-coupled system solution for use by industrial corporations, farmers and investors with larger roofs or open spaces.
Within only two years, the ASI F-90 module recovers all of the energy needed to build it. After all, thin-film technology requires very few milligrams of silicon for each watt of output. This not only conserves precious resources, it also means less energy is required to obtain it. The new manufacturing facility operated by SCHOTT in Jena, where the ASI F-90 modules will be manufactured in high volumes starting in September of 2007, precipitates the semiconductor silicon in layer thicknesses of only two micrometers onto large format glass substrates of up to 1.4 m² in size.
The ease with which it can be installed also has a positive impact on overall cost-effectiveness. The ASI F-90 modules are ready for installation – from the construction frame to the switch outlet – to provide for easy and cost-effective system-level integration. In comparison to conventionally mounted frameless glass laminates, installation is around 15 euro cents per watt (ct/W) less expensive. Another 10 ct/W can be saved when it comes to the electrical wiring, because with the system’s high voltage of up to 1000 volts, fewer parallel connections are required.
Technical data on the ASI F-90 at a glance:
• nominal output: 86 Wp
• voltage at nominal output: 16.8 V
• electricity at nominal output: 5.1 A
• maximum DC system voltage: 1000 V
• weight: 19 kg
• dimensions: 1308 mm X 1108 mm
• height of frame: 50 mm
• connections: Tyco socket with a bypass diode, Tyco connector
• sold and marketed by authorized SCHOTT Solar dealers and partners