SINGAPORE (ICIS news)–Asian ethylene vinyl acetate
(EVA) with 18% VA content prices have fallen 8.5-14% from July highs due to resistance from China and India’s downstream footwear industries amid slowing global economies, producers and end-users said on Thursday.
The product hit record highs of around $2,460/tonne CFR (cost and freight) China, and $2,505/tonne CFR South Asia in July.
When expected pent-up post-Beijing Olympics demand failed to materialise this month, some producers dropped September prices of 18% VA content EVA cargoes in China by 8.5% to $2,200-2,300/tonne CFR China amid mounting inventory pressure.
This represented the first price decline in two years.Â
Record high EVA prices amid earlier robust demand from the downstream footwear sector and rising labour costs in China contributed to the demise of numerous small- and medium-scale footwear factories, a Taiwan-based EVA producer said.
September business to South Asia was also concluded lower by around 14% at $2,130-2,180/tonne CFR India, reflecting a $150-200/tonne week-on-week loss.
“The India market is generally the lowest priced market in Asia if demand in China is poor. So some suppliers have to sell at this price,†a Korea-based producer said.
He added that they have not decided if they want to sell at lower prices to South Asia to keep their market share.
“Margins are there but it is so difficult to conclude deals,†a southeast Asia-based producer said, adding that he was avoiding the South Asian market, “because most buyers had no idea what price to buy at and there are stocks still stuck at the ports.â€Â
“Inventories are building up but it is still manageable. We hope demand will return in October,†he added.
Meanwhile, India-based converters had been turning to substitutes or additives in their footwear manufacturing processes in the wake of skyrocketing EVA prices.
“There is not much demand now although it is approaching the end of the monsoon season,†an official from a local footwear manufacturer said.
“There has been product line shifts and EVA prices had already seen very high levels so prices should normalise now that crude values have come down,†he added.
While the industry may have seen its best days in the footwear application sector, it was still far from doom and gloom for EVA makers as healthy margins in the higher VA content EVA market remained healthy.
Several northeast Asia-based EVA producers have adjusted production ratios at their plants to that of higher 28% VA content material – which goes into the hotmelt adhesives and cable and wire applications – owing to recent global supply shortages.
Others eyed a slice of the growing market for 30-33% VA content EVA for solar panel applications.
Major EVA producers in Asia include Formosa Plastics Corp, Hanwha Chemical Corp, Lotte Daesan Petrochemical, The Polyolefin Company, TPI Polene and YPC BASF.
First and foremost, you’ll need to prepare some important items to build your own solar cell. These items include the following:
• Copper Sheeting
• Clear Plexiglass/Perpex/Acrylic Sheeting
• Some Thin Wood Strip
• copper Wire
• Duct Tape
• Metal Guillotine
• Bandsaw
• Electric Ring Hob
To get started, cut a square of the copper sheeting so that it is about 6-8 in. square in size. It is much easier to do with a metal guillotine, however, if you haven’t got access to this sort of equipment, tin snips will work just fine.
After you’ve done this, wash your hands thoroughly and dry them. You need to remove any grease or oil from your hands that could cause problems with the next step of the process. Remove any grease or detritus from the copper sheeting. Next, take a piece of emery cloth and thoroughly sand down the piece of copper on both sides to remove the top layer of oxidized copper. This will leave you with nice bright shiny red copper underneath.
You now need to heat treat the copper, in order to form an oxide coating on top. It may sound counter intuitive that we have just removed all the oxide and now we are going to put oxide back on, but the oxide coating we will be applying will be a film of “cuprous oxide”.
You need to turn the burner to the highest setting, with the sheet of copper just placed on top. Observe the changes to the copper carefully, they are very interesting. As you heat the copper, it takes on a lovely vivid patina of different colours.
If you have access to nitric acid, you can use this as a superior method for removing the upper cupric oxide layer.
You will see a black crusty oxide from on top of the copper plate. If you leave the plate to cool slowly, the crusty layer should become fairly fragile and separate easily from the underlying copper. When you have allowed the plate to cool thoroughly, give the plate a firm bang edge-on to a hard surface. Some of the oxide will pop off. Rub the oxide gently with your fingers under a tap, and you will find most of the black layer od oxide comes off easily. If any bits are stubborn, do not under any circumstances scour them, as we do not want to damage the fragile surface.
Under this black layer of oxide, you will find another layer of a reddish orange rust colour. This is the layer which is “photosensitive” and will make out thin-film solar cell work.
Make a spacer now from some thin strips of wood. Use duct tape to join your pieces of wood together. Do not use metal fixings as they could react electrolytically with the other components of the cell.
We are now going to make another electrode. It has to have the property that it does not touch the other piece of the solar cell, and allows light to hit the surface. We are going to use salt water as our other electrode, making contact with the whole surface of the thin film cell, yet conducting electricity. We are then going to immerse another copper wire to make the connection. You could equally use another piece of copper plate around the outside of the thin-film cell, but not touching our oxidized copper.
In a commercial thin-film cell, tin oxide is commonly used as the other electrode, as it is clear and yet conducts electricity.
Now take a piece of Perspex to act as a cover plate, and stick a strip of duct tape on either side.
We are going to stick our other electrode wire to this piece of Perspex.
Use thickish wire for clarity, with few actual zigzags so that you can clearly see what is going on. To optimize the performance of your solar cell, you want to make the conductor large. To this end , you are better using lots of thinner gauge wire in a much finer zigzag pattern – this will still allow the light to get through, but at the same time gives a large conductor area.
You can experiment with different types of wire and copper – the trick is to try and maximize the surface area of the copper, while trying to block as little light as possible from reaching the solar cell.
Fold the duct tape over and stick the wire to the plate.
We are now going to combine the electrode plate with the space. Again, duct tape makes this a nice easy job.
Next, we are going to take the copper plate, and stick duct tape to one side, with the sticky side of the tape facing the same direction as the layer of red copper oxide.
Combine the plate and the front module to make the finished solar cell.
Now, take a little salt water, and fill the void between the Perspex front section and the copper plate. Seal the module with duct tape all round to prevent leakage.
Lastly, connect your module to a multimeter, find a bright light source, and explore some of the electrical properties of your solar cell.
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The module structure is designed to protect the solar cells from the environment. It consists of a number of layers to protect the circuit of solar PV cells and to make the module easy to install. The materials used in these layers determine the cost and durability of the modules.
The solar cells themselves and their circuits are totally wrapped in plastic. A front layer of tempered glass, covering the solar cells, provides high transparency and low absorption. It is also tempered for strength in order to reduce the effects of falling trees or hail. The multi-layered back sheet protects the plastic and cells from abrasions and prevents moisture from getting into the module.
An edge seal is applied to protect the edges of the glass from the infiltration of dirt, water, or other non-friendly substances. The metal frame is secured around the entire glass laminate. The metal frame gives rigidity and strength to the module and allows the modules to be attached to a mounting system. Common Solar Module Design Types
There are three basic module solar designs. The first is the standard frame module that you may have experienced in the past. This design approach has been used for 30 years and usually involves an aluminum frame that allows the modules to be mounted onto a rail structure of some kind that is then directly attached to the roof. The modules are positioned above the roof surface, providing space for air to flow under the module, which helps cool the system and makes it work more efficiently.
At the same time, rain water, leaves, twigs, and other debris can also flow under the solar panels. The rail structure is attached to the roof by means of posts that are secured into the roof rafters with long lag screws. This method is appropriate for most kinds of roofs, including ceramic tile, wood shingles, and asphalt. The roof is sealed tightly after the posts are installed to prevent any chance of leaks.
Modified Metal Frame for a Ground Mount Module Design
This module design can also be mounted to a ground based frame structure. Such a structure can be built on any stable terrain, can be made of metal or wood, and can hold the modules at any tilt angle or azimuth orientation (note: see previous articles related to sun angles). The ground mount can also be a pole structure to cut down on foundation work to your home. It can be stationary (i.e. not have a small motor to constantly orientate the solar panel with the sun as it tracks across the sky) or it can use a small motor to track the sun throughout the day and year.
Residential Roof Integrated Solar Energy Modules
A second type of module design is one that allows the module to be integrated into residential roofing materials. Systems connecting directly to the roofing materials (i.e. replacing shingles or laying flat to the roofing boards) are called integrated solar modules. The module frame design is modified so that it has the same profile as neighboring flat concrete tiles. The modules are not mounted to a rail structure but are attached directly to the roof surface. This low profile mount allows the module to blend in to the look of the roof and avoid the retrofit appearance of standard mounted solar energy modules.
The emergence of this more attractive roof integrated product has encouraged many production home builders to incorporate solar systems into their projects. This type blends in with the roofing materials and is attached directly to the roof surface.
Types Integrated Solar PV Panels
One is the mono crystalline ridged frame design offered by some existing manufacturers. These PV panels are becoming more efficient and they blend well into the roofing structure. These solar cells use the same crystalline silicon technology as standard modules today. This set up has more mounting frame with fewer solar cells connected in series. The can result in a solar system that is a little more expensive. Because the roof integrated systems mount directly to the roof, they do not have the air flow of standard modules therefore the solar cell temperature gets higher, limiting their efficiency.
The other integrated solar cell product offered, by UNISOLAR, is a flexible amorphous technology. This type of solar panel is referred as thin film, sheet solar, or nano-solar. It is made to blend in with an asphalt shingle roof. It is somewhat less efficient, tends to degrade more quickly, and may have a shorter workable live spam. The manufacturer claims that this module is better in high shade situations.
Solar Energy Options Hitting a Roofs Everywhere
It is encouraging to see new solar energy systems hitting the market with enhanced technology, better integration options, and less complexity. It will take time to work out the bugs with these cutting edge products. With new technology, we think comes (hopefully) a lower cost of ownership. This should enhance the use of home solar energy systems worldwide. It will be innovative financing options that allow homeowners to use the technology that will cause explosive growth.
New solar energy technologies are on the march. Exciting investments and technology proof of concepts are everywhere. It is hard to refute the good, faithful, and well-established silicon based solar cells. These systems have a life span of 30 years and have been in active use for decades. The only deterrent, until now, has been the high price for the systems. With the option to rental the entire solar energy system including the ongoing maintenance of the system for up to 25 years, the choices homeowners now have related to renewable energy adoption in their homes is very exciting.
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