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11 HERAEUS | MAGAZINE 2015 | INNOVATING SILVER PASTES RENEWABLE ENERGY IS BECOMING EVEN GREENER Solar cells are increasingly contributing to the gener- ation of renewable energy. However, the eco-friendly “green” energy they produce still has a tinge of gray, because some of the materials used in silicon solar cells contain lead, a toxic heavy metal. For years, Heraeus has been developing solar pastes containing silver, which are used on solar cells as circuit paths to transport the energy generated by sunlight. In 2015, Larry Wang, Li Yan, Michael Neidert and Tracy Guo, of Heraeus Photovoltaics in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, developed a silver paste for solar cell applications that completely eliminates lead-containing materials from the metallization of solar cells without reducing their efficiency, reliability or performance. This is good for our environment, because it makes renewable energy even greener. in line with my sense of responsibility to the company. I have been always close to the market and have a deep understanding of the whole business operation, markets, and customers.” Now Dr. Zhang leads a team of more than 70 people, roughly divided between sales and R&D, in different locations around the globe, including China, Singapore, the U.S., and Germany. 2015 proved to be a good year as Heraeus Photovoltaics won over customers with shorter lead times than the competition. Dr. Zhang believes proximity to customers made a key contribution. “Our products are made in China and shipped to custom- ers daily. Without the production base in China, we would not have made it,” Zhang is convinced. Always on the go HPT responded to the new challenges in a proactive and flexible way, and made a key decision to promote regional R&D and production to accelerate response speed to custom- er needs. Decentralized R&D presents some organizational challenges, as the teams need to maintain their close and regular exchange of information across time zones and bor- ders. In late April of 2015, HPT set up regional R&D centers in Shanghai and Taipei. Now the two centers have demon- strated increased synergies with the global R&D center in the U.S. A series of measures for localization, including the establishment of regional R&D capacities, have enabled HPT to increase customer confidence in quickly getting the most up-to-date and tailor-made silver pastes upgraded and produced locally. With these changes, Heraeus maintains a presence with its customers on location and has more flex- ibility in implementing their demands, which is something they noticeably value. In his new double role, Dr. Weiming Zhang has a tighter schedule than ever, with over 60% of his working days con- sisting of business trips. Asia is the major market for HPT, Silver pastes are used in producing contact paths on solar cells. The paths provide the electrical contacts for the wafers and improve the efficiency of solar cells.

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