Annual Report 2011 (5.07 MB, PDF-File) - Oerlikon

Remuneration Report Risk Management Financial Report Global Markets R & D Global Presence
Energy
Renewable energy shows great promise
Absolute population growth, combined with increasing urbanization
and industrialization, is driving the ongoing rise in energy
consumption. According to the International Energy Agency
(IEA), global electricity consumption rose at a nearly linear rate
between 1945 and 2010, increasing from 500 Terawatt hours
per year to about 20 000. This trend shows no signs of ending.
The largest proportion of electricity is produced by fossil fuels
such as coal, oil and natural gas. Focus on CO2-free power
generation using renewable resources is increasing for environmental
reasons. The European Renewable Energy Council
(EREC), for instance, has obtained a binding commitment from
EU-member countries that 20 % of their power requirements
will be met using renewable energy sources by 2020. Wind and
solar power are the focal points of these efforts.
Wind energy currently accounts for the largest share of power
produced from renewable sources. But photovoltaics – the direct
transformation of sunlight into electrical energy using solar
cells – holds huge potential. With an installed photovoltaic capacity
of 16 Gigawatts, Europe is the largest and most important
solar market in the world today. According to the European
Photovoltaics Industry Association (EPIA), however, Asia –
China and India in particular – will significantly expand its capacities
and could easily overtake Europe in the near future.
The Chinese government’s National Energy Plan, for example,
calls for more than 20 Gigawatts of solar capacity by 2020 –
25 % more than in all of Europe today.
Energy
Segment split
Textile Drive Systems Vacuum Solar Coating Advanced
Technologies
End usage of Oerlikon innovations
Solar cells Thin film Mining Thermo Windpower
solar
electric
modules
generators
161
How Oerlikon participates
From among the range of photovoltaic technologies in use
today, crystalline solar cells are still the most widely used. Over
the last several years, however, thin film technology has become
increasingly popular. By comparison to crystalline photovoltaics,
the manufacture of thin film modules requires fewer process
steps, less material and less energy resulting in better cost structures.
In terms of efficiency, the technology has made huge
strides in recent years and its share in the overall photovoltaic
market is forecast to climb to 25 % by 2013.
With its ThinFab production line, Oerlikon Solar offers the most
cost-effective product for manufacturing thin film silicon solar cells
today. Unlike competing technologies the ThinFab process
does not create environmentally hazardous substances. With the
new production line, production costs decrease over 20 % from
EUR 0.50/Watt (peak) (Wp) to EUR 0.35 Wp. Oerlikon Solar is, as
a result, ideally positioned to benefit from the forecast increase in
production capacities for thin film silicon solar modules, particularly
in China and Taiwan.
Oerlikon Advanced Technology offers its customers an effective
solution for coating crystalline solar cells with SOLARIS.
With a 75 % share of installed capacity worldwide, this technology
has the largest share in the solar market.
The Group is also benefiting from the expansion of wind energy:
Oerlikon Drive Systems produces extremely robust transmission
components for wind-powered generators.
Oil and gas