- Announced that anticipated results from the mid 2019 commissioning of the PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor pilot plant motivated the extension of the agreement with Apollon Solar SAS
- Apollon Solar is a private French company that, over the past 20 years, has become one of the world leaders in the development of the metallurgical purification steps necessary for the transformation of 1 to 2 N silicon metal (“MG-Si”) into solar grade silicon metal
MONTREAL, April 04, 2019 — HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (“HPQ”)Â (TSX VENTURE:HPQ) (FRANKFURT:UGE) (OTC PINK:URAGF)Â is pleased to announce that the anticipated results from the mid 2019 commissioning of the PUREVAP™ Quartz Reduction Reactor (“QRR”) pilot plant motivated the extension of the agreement with Apollon Solar SAS, (“Apollon”). Apollon Solar is a private French company that, over the past 20 years, has become one of the world leaders in the development of the metallurgical purification steps necessary for the transformation of 1 to 2 N silicon metal (“MG-Si”) into solar grade silicon metal (“SoG-Si”), the critical material needed for the photovoltaic conversion of the sun energy into electricity.
CONTINUING THE VALIDATION OF THE INNOVATIVE SOLAR POTENTIAL OF THE PUREVAPTM QRR
Bernard J. Tourillon President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Resources stated: “The
December 2017 agreement with Apollon was the final piece of the puzzle
in the creation of a world-class technical team. Joining PyroGenesis
(PYR-TSXV) and HPQ, Apollon is dedicated to establishing a Low Cost and
Green metallurgical approach for the production of solar grade silicon
metal (SoG-Si). The extension of the agreement, as we get ready to
produce our first 4N+ Purity (99.99+%) PUREVAP™ Silicon Metal (Si)
(PVAP-Si) in 2019, could not be better timing, as the identification of
the technological clusters needed for the transformation of PVAP-Si into
SoG-Si has already startedâ€.
The following release will take the form of a question and answer
discussion between Mr. Bernard J. Tourillon (MBA, President and CEO of
HPQ Silicon) who will ask the questions, and Mr. Jed Kraiem Ph.D,
(General Manager at Apollon Solar) who will answer them.
Q. Hi Jed, thank you for taking the time for the Q&A session. Can you describe Apollon Solar’s expertise in the metallurgical production of Solar Silicon (SoG-Si UMG)?
A. Certainly, for almost 20 years Apollon has
invested time and money in research and development related to the
development of metallurgical routes for the production of solar grade
silicon metal (SoG-Si). Over time, Apollon emerged as a world leaders
in the definition of impurity specifications for SoG-Si and the
development of technological process required (Clusters) to produce
solar cells with high photovoltaic conversion efficiency using silicon
produced via metallurgical processes (“SoG Si UMG”). Some of our most
significant achievements are:
- We were the first company ever (and the
only one) to manufacture entirely monocrystalline Czochralski (Cz)
ingots made with 100% SoG Si UMG;
- Working with the UNSW (University of
New South Wales), we have obtained a Voc of 690 mV on standard PHOTOSIL
Multi-crystalline Si wafers with a resistivity of 0.5 Ohm.cm;
- Working with the ANU (Australian
National University), we have obtained, and the results were
independently validated by a third party Institute, a maximum conversion
efficiency of 21.1% on N-type wafers, a world record for a solar cell
made from 100% “SoG Si UMG” that is still standing today. Furthermore,
without betraying any secret, we can already say that this record should
be largely beaten in the coming months.
Q. Can you please describe the differences between the
chemical production of Polysilicon (Siemens process) and a metallurgical
production of Solar grade Silicon (SoG-Si UMG)?
A. Polysilicon was originally designed to meet the
demands of the electronic industry with purities between 9N to 11N
depending on end usage. The Siemens process uses hydrochloric acid to
dissolve MG-Si and produce a gas compound, trichlorosilane on a
fluidized bed, then that gas compound is purified and finally reduced to
solid silicon or Polysilicon. This process requires significant
amounts of electrical energy (about 72 kWh per kg produced) and is
potentially harmful to the environment because of the usage of chloride
and silane in the process. Over the years, the Siemens process was
optimized around producing 6N to 9N purity Si used in the solar industry
and massive investments in commercial development lead to large plants
being built. The main reason the chemical approach became the dominant
process until now was the absence of alternatives to polysilicon in the
early 2000s, when solar energy experienced it’s first boom. At that
time, solar cells using metallurgically produce Solar Grade Silicon
Metal were unable to reach the same levels of performance as those
reached with polysilicon.
Metallurgically produced Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG-Si) has a
purity of 5N+ with the main impurities being Boron, Phosphorus, Carbon
and Oxygen. Contrary to chemical Solar Grade Si production (Siemens or
FBR), the production of SoG-Si via metallurgical routes involves
different liquid and solid phase processes, with at least 3 different
purification steps (Cluster) needed to obtain solar requirements. Since
the final purity of the product is adapted to solar application, CAPEX
demands are reduced and after industrial scale optimization, operating
costs (OPEX) will be significantly lower. Since 2007, many industrials
have refined metallurgical Silicon into Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG
–Si) via metallurgical processes and demonstrated that photovoltaic
performances could be similar to performance attained using polysilicon.
On that point, Apollon Solar was one of the very first companies to
demonstrate the possibility of obtaining very high photovoltaic
conversion efficiency using 100% SoG Si UMG.
Q. Few industrial manufacturers have demonstrated an
interest in metallurgical production of Solar Silicon (SoG-Si UMG), why
is Apollon Solar still interested in its potential?
A. Developing a metallurgical pathway for the
production of solar grade silicon metal requires time and significant
investments. During the past 10 years, Apollon Solar has been involved
in the development and optimization of the technologies needed to purify
silicon metal (Mg-Si). Thanks to our global vision of the value chain
and especially our photovoltaic expertise, Apollon Solar has identified
the processes that need to be integrated in order to produce
metallurgically low cost solar grade silicon metal (SoG-Si) that can
reach high photovoltaic efficiency (Technological clusters).
Because of our unique expertise in both Silicon metallurgy and
photovoltaic cells, Apollon Solar strongly believes in the future of the
metallurgical pathway, but that is not the case for other manufacturers
who generally only have one of these two core competences
Furthermore, three recent facts have reinforced our interest in the metallurgical production of SoG-Si:
- The production in the near future of 4N purity Si (PVAP-Si) at a cost similar to traditional MG Si;
- The possibility of using low resistivity wafers (higher
concentration of Boron and Phosphorus) to obtain high PV efficiencies
thanks to Passivated Emitter & Rear Cell (PERC)1 cell technology;
- The growing interest of public administrations and consumers for
photovoltaic modules with a low carbon footprint (reduction of
approximately 33% of the module’s CO2 emissions through the use of
metallurgical solar Si).
Q. Can you explain why Apollon thinks that an innovation
like PUREVAP™ RRQ will allow the metallurgical production of Solar
Silicon (SoG-Si UMG) to compete with polysilicon production?
A. In 2017, Apollon Solar identified the PUREVAP™
QRR process as a unique metallurgical process, based on an innovative
technological approach developed by PyroGenesis Canada Inc (“PCI”) for
HPQ (patent pending, owned by HPQ).
Basically PUREVAP™ is a technology that is totally different from the
traditional processes that transform Quartz into Metallurgical Silicon
(“MG-Si”) and it is totally different from the well-known conventional
physical and chemical processes of metallurgical purification of silicon
(plasma, slags, acid leaching, alloys, and others).
The successful industrialization of such a simpler process, as well
as the production of PUREVAP™ Silicon metal of 4N + purity (99.99 +% Si)
with 1 ppmw of Boron (PVAP-Si) would result in a simplification of the
refining steps and an improvement in material yield, resulting in
significant cost savings (CAPEX and OPEX). Although still subject to
validation, the addition of the technologies required for the
transformation of PVAP-Si into Metallurgical Solar Silicon (“SoG-Si
UMG”) would allow for a cost reduction that could equate to 60% for
CAPEX and 30% for the “cash costs” (versus the most recent factories
built in China).
While there is still some way to go toward industrial validation,
this is a true innovation and its potential is there, so this is why we
are excited to be continuing our involvement with HPQ!
Q. Which types of solar cells is the PUREVAP™ SoG-Si UMG meant for?
A. The first application for a PUREVAP™ SoG-Si UMG
will be Multicrystalline solar cells (p-type Al-BSF and PERC) which will
represent about 40% of the market in 2019 (that is about 50 GW or
175,000 MT/year of SoG Si). This is related to the fact that impurities
specifications are less restrictive in multicrystalline than
monocrystalline cells.
The new Mono PERC cell structures enabled higher solar cells
efficiencies and lower SoG-Si consumption, monocrystalline (“mono-câ€)
cells are presently gaining market shares compared to multicrystalline
(multi-câ€), but this does not mean that the market for multicrystalline
solar cells is not without a future.
The potential cell efficiency of a Multi PERC cell structure should
be about 22.5%. Future multicrystalline market shares will depend on
its costs and the speed at which cell performance will increase. Based
on historical precedents, major technological advances in solar cells
are always implemented first in the mono-c Si market before transferring
to the multi-c Si market. When the significant cost reduction
emanating from technological advances reaches the multi-c Si, it always
gains back the market share lost to mono-Si.
Combining the innovations related to the increase conversion
efficiency from Mono-c Si to Multi-c to the usage of a PUREVAP™ SoG-Si
UMG will present a new pathway to significantly reducing the costs of
the multi-c solar cells, as SoG-Si currently represents about 15% of the
costs of a solar module.
Q. Can HPQ’s PUREVAP™ SoG-Si UMG be used to produce Si for industrial monocrystalline cells?
A. In the past, Apollon Solar and their partners
have proven that high efficiency monocrystalline cells can be made from
SoG Si 100% UMG (today’s world record at 21.1%). So this is an
opportunity that will be studied as well. Indeed the difference in cell
efficiency for solar cells made from SoG Si 100% UMG compared to solar
cells made from polysilicon reference wafers could be less than 1.0%
absolute.
Q. What is Apollon Solar’s position on perovskites solar cells?
A. Perovskites use in photovoltaic applications is a
very recent innovation so this is a less mature technology compared to
crystalline SoG-Si. While Perovskites base technology has made enormous
progress in terms of photovoltaic efficiency in recent years and it
cost and efficiency potential is very appealing, two major problems have
emerged:
- A problem of long-term stability (cells are very sensitive to moisture) and;
- Lead is a major component of perovskites, making them less
environmentally friendly than Silicon while its removal reduces cells
performances.
Many research efforts on that topic are currently underway and could
eventually solve these main problems. However, perovskites are still
far from industrialization and before they are able to compete with
SoG-Si, a lot of convincing results will be required regarding both
performance and reliability over time.
This having been said, another interesting point seems to be the
potential to use SoG-Si in combination with Perovskites. In this case,
the low cost solar Silicon (“SoG-Si UMG”) produced by HPQ could probably
be adapted to the industrial realization of Silicon/Perovskites tandem
cells. Indeed for that type of cells, an optimum between the purity and
the cost of silicon presumably exists. This is where a PUREVAP™ SoG-Si
UMG would be at an advantage versus polysilicon with it high fixed costs
that do not depend on the purity of the product.
Q. Do you see other markets for the PUREVAP™ RRQ process?
A. Whatever process is used to produce Solar grade
Silicon (“SoG Si”) (metallurgical or chemical), the main raw material
needed will always be Metallurgical Grade Silicon Metal (“Si-MG”), a
product that costs producers of SoG Si approximately US $ 2.5/kg for a 2
N purity raw material.
This reality has not changed even as production costs for industry
leaders went from US $ 25 per kg fifteen years ago to less than US $ 9
per kg today, therefore making the relative importance of this raw
material going from less than 10% of costs about fifteen years ago, when
Polysilicon selling prices were high (> US $ 50 per kg) up to
approximately 33% of today’s cost, just as Polysilicon spot prices have
starting reaching a price range <US $ 10 per kg.
The PUREVAP™ process, being the only process that can provide the
industry with access to a superior raw material, will have a significant
competitive advantage versus traditional producers of Mg-Si.
Finally, by optimizing the PUREVAP™ Silicon structure, it could be
made suitable for use in a very important potential market: anodes for
Lithium-ion batteries.
Q. No industrial group involved in the production of
Metallurgical Silicon (MG – Si) and Solar Silicon (SoG – Si) seems
interested in developing an equivalent process, why?
A. Firstly, it is important to realize that there
is a real cultural difference between upstream actors, (metallurgical
grade Silicon metal and Solar Grade Silicon Metal producers) and
downstream producers, (photovoltaic producers). Contrary to what one
might believe, the border between these two groups is not very porous.
Having experienced these difficulties first hand in our previous
projects, this is an area where Apollon Solar can help HPQ and
PyroGenesis benefit from the lessons learned and make these two worlds
work together to our advantage.
Secondly, until recently there was no significant market for high
purity metallurgical Silicon 3N + (99.9 +% Si) and this may explain some
of this lack of interest.
Yet, for several decades now, researchers and industrials have
developed Metallurgical purification processes that are now mature and
can produce Solar Grade Silicon (“SoG-Si UMG”) from Metallurgical
Silicon Metal (“MG- Si”).
The industrial scaling up development of these technologies was long
and costly, but some industrials did succeed in producing a commercial
SoG-Si UMG. While metallurgical production of SoG-Si consumes less
energy than chemical production SoG-Si (35,000 KWh/t versus 72,000
KWh/t), operational savings until now have never been enough to pay back
the CAPEX required for the production of SoG-Si UMG.
Presently only REC Solar Norway (Elkem Solar) still seemed to have an
industrial production of SoG-Si UMG and it is small, 8,000 MT per year,
or about 2% of the global solar Si market.
One of the main reasons why industrials have limited their investment
in new metallurgical process to make SoG-Si is the massive margin
destruction that has been happening over the last 25 years, and this
even as demand for solar panels increased exponentially. This
contradictory reality is a demonstration of the price elasticity of
solar energy, whereby reduction in cost of making solar energy results
in an increase in demand for solar energies.
Q. What is the future trend of the Solar Grade Silicon market?
A. Just during the last 6 years, the spot prices of polysilicon
(“SoG-Si”) dropped from US $25 per kg to less than US $ 10 per kg. At
these new prices not even the new high-performance plants built in
China, with their cash cost below US$ 9 per Kg, and their all in cost
around US$ 14 per kg can continue operating for a long period with spot
prices staying below US$ 14 per kg.
So if there is a conclusion I would like readers to take away from
this exchange is that demand for Solar Energy is not going away,
therefore demand for SoG Si is not going away either. Furthermore,
since chemical processes to make SoG-Si have been optimized to the max,
it is evident that very soon a new Low Cost pathway to make a SoG-Si
that can produce high efficiency solar cells will be needed to meet
solar demand.
The PUREVAP™ RRQ process being develop by HPQ and PyroGenesis is
coming to market at the most opportune time, and when you combine this
new process with our solar technological knowhow it creates a solar team
with the potential to become a significant agent of change for the
industry.
This press release is available on the forum “CEO Verified Discussion Forum“,
a moderated social media platform that allows civilized discussion and
questions and answers between management and shareholders.
About HPQ Silicon
HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. is a TSX-V listed (Symbol HPQ) resource company focuses on becoming a vertically integrated producer of High Purity Silicon Metal (4N+) and a metallurgical producer of Solar Grade Silicon Metal (“SoG-Siâ€) used in the manufacturing of multi and monocrystalline solar cells of the P and N types, required for production of high performance photovoltaic solar systems.
HPQ’s goal is to develop, in collaboration with industry leaders,
PyroGenesis (TSX-V: PYR) and Apollon Solar, experts in their fields of
interest, the innovative PUREVAPTM “Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR)â€, a
new Carbothermic process (patent pending), which will permit the
transformation and purification of quartz (SiO2) into high purity
silicon metal (4N+ Si) in one step therefore reducing significantly the
CAPEX and OPEX costs associated with a metallurgical transformation of
quartz (SiO2) into SoG Si. The pilot plant equipment that will validate
the commercial potential of the process is on schedule to start mid-2019
Disclaimers:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements containing the words “may”,
“plan”, “will”, “estimate”, “continue”, “anticipate”, “intend”,
“expect”, “in the process” and other similar expressions which
constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of
applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the
Company’s current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited
to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the
market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the
capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research
and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new
product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory
approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the
Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks
and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the
Company’s on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities,
which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and
performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
For further information, contact
Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President and CEO Tel (514) 907-1011
Patrick Levasseur, Vice-President and COO Tel: (514) 262-9239
www.HPQSilicon.com
Shares outstanding: 222,284,053
