Environmental pressures, energy costs and technology advancements have resulted in the rapid expansion of the solar industry.  This growth is driving the need for innovative water treatment solutions that can expand quickly with production requirements and meet changing market needs. 

Siemens Water Technologies has installed or upgraded multiple treatment systems at solar manufacturing facilities.  With the rising cost of fossil fuel, solar energy has increasingly become a viable alternative for renewable energy.

Siemens Water Technologies provides ultrapure water systems for the manufacturing process, along with wastewater ion exchange (WWIX) and capital solutions to comply with effluent guidelines.  We continue to work with several manufacturers to develop solutions for varied wastewater treatment solutions.  

Wastewater treatment is necessary for solar cell manufacturers as regulated heavy metals are collected in the waste stream during the manufacturing process.  The following examples show how WWIX was applied successfully to minimize waste, meet regulations and lower operating costs.

Solution #1 - System optimization to improve performance, recover water and comply with effluent guidelines

A US-based solar cell manufacturer required treatment of dissolved cadmium from an effluent stream after pH adjustment.  Current operations produce inconsistent effluent concentrations and further problems with the water recycle and recovery.  Optimization of the current system was required to improve performance, recover water and comply with discharge effluent guidelines.

Siemens Water Technologies provided lab pilot work and on-site testing to optimize the performance of the WWIX equipment and reduce operational costs.  Siemens replaced a competitive technology with this WWIX system to remove cadmium and other contaminants from the waste stream.  The system meets the effluent requirement and improves water recovery performance of the overall system. 

Solution #2 - Flexible system that can quickly adjust to increases in production requirements or process concentrations

Due to rapid expansion at another solar cell manufacturing facility in the western United States, this customer required a cadmium treatment solution that could expand with the increasing wastewater effluent production volume at the site, without reduction in performance or metal removal efficiency.

The Siemens solution included a WWIX system that could quickly expand to increases in production requirements or process concentrations.  This solution provides the flexibility to treat systems during developmental stages of production when concentrations of production chemistry are continuously changing.

Solution #3 - System to target specific problem ions that occur during manufacturing

This customer needed to target specific metals in the rapidly changing process used in solar cell manufacturing.  With the industry developing and the technology evolving, cadmium, copper, zinc and a combination of other contaminants, such as cyanide and mercury can be present in the waste streams.

Siemens Water Technologies was able to provide solutions that focus on the specific problem ions that occur during manufacturing.  Various developmental techniques of the emerging solar technologies have different requirements and WWIX has proven solutions for multiple heavy metal contaminants.

These customers have found the flexibility of WWIX systems work well to treat the waste effluent without interfering with the manufacturing process. Siemens Water Technologies provides leading process solutions, existing process optimization and cost effective equipment and services.