PV 2 Standard (PVECI) Overview

Photovoltaic (PV) Equipment Communication In an effort to increase efficiencies and reduce integration costs, the fast-growing Photovoltaic (PV) Manufacturing community has initiated the development and implementation of industry-wide standards. At the equipment level, the new connectivity standard, based on GEM/SECS (SEMI E30), PV2 - Equipment Communication Interface Standard for PV Production Systems, was approved in June 2009.

The PV Industry and Standards
PV Equipment Communication Standards Development
The Guide to PV Equipment Communication Interfaces
PV 2 Standard Update
Cimetrix & the PVECI standards
PV2 Resources

The PV Industry & Standards

The Photovoltaic (PV) industry is a dynamic and fast growing industry that is focused on reducing the cost per kw of power. Industry standards development has proven to cut costs in many industries, but, historically, PV has been governed by de-facto standards from dominant players or by no standards at all. The PV industry is now aggressively reviewing standards development and recently started exploring the implementation of equipment-level standards in an effort to increase productivity and decrease operational costs.

“Standards in photovoltaic are essential for the industry in order to lower trade barriers and to reduce the cost of ownership for cell and module manufacturers of their production facilities. Both elements are key to reach competitiveness of the photovoltaic industry in a global energy market.”
-- Dr. Ossenbrink, Unit Head Renewable Energies of the European Commission Joint Research Center [SEMI, P039751]

The SEMI® organization has been a big promoter of the creation and use of standards for this market with the hopes of expanding its growth and profitability. In September 2006, the SEMI Photovoltaic Committee held its first meeting to determine SEMI’s involvement and how it could best contribute to the growth of the industry. By providing recommendations, guidance and expertise in standards development and deployment, SEMI can help the PV manufacturing community leverage the work that has already been done in similar industries to improve its efficiency and production.

PV Equipment Communication Standards Development

Discussions began in 2006 regarding the need for standardized IT (Information Technology) interfaces that enable “sophisticated quality assurance, traceability and advanced process control strategies” [Photovoltaics International, PVI02-07_04]. In September 2007, the Photovoltaic Equipment Interface Specification (PV-EIS) PV-EIS Task Force was formed with the sole purpose of defining the interface between the equipment and the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Members of the task force included representation from PV manufacturers, equipment suppliers, third-party software providers and research institutes. The committee was led by co-chairs, Thomas Vonderstrass of Solarworld Industries USA and Mathias Glaser of Manz Automation AG; and coached by Stefan Rein of Fraunhofer ISE and Matthias Meier of Fraunhofer IPA.

The task force created two working sub-teams to evaluate existing solutions and the requirements of the industry. Several existing solutions, such as SECS/GEM, EDA, OPC-UA, and XML, were evaluated based on functionality, reliability, extendibility and the ability to be integrated in different environments. The evaluation of both teams resulted in the decision to build upon the SEMI SECS/GEM standards (SEMI E30) already being implemented in the semiconductor industry.

“The SECS/GEM approach … offers a platform of well-established standards, existing tools and libraries, and a proven track record of successful implementation over many years.”
– SEMI Document #4557 Guide for PV Equipment Communication Interfaces (PVECI)

PVECI (PV2): Guide for PV Equipment Communication Interfaces

The PV-EIS Task Force created the Guide for PV Equipment Communication Interfaces (PVECI), or PV 2 standard. According to the document, the guide is meant to be “a best-practice approach on proven concepts and scenarios that have proven of great value to the semiconductor industry and can be of great use in PV as well.” Restrictions and clarifications are included that simplify the GEM/SECS application for the PV industry compared to the version used in semiconductor manufacturing.

“By using existing standards to fill similar needs and allowing sufficient time and energy to investigate those areas truly unique to PV, solutions and approaches can be developed that will help propel the industry forward towards a more efficient, cost-conscious manufacturing process by the industry and for the industry.”
– SEMI PV Group Photovoltaic Standards Committee, PVI02-07_04

Supporters of the PV 2 standard believe that its acceptance will be an improvement, reducing integration costs dramatically. Many semiconductor equipment manufacturers that include PV in their product mix have already begun utilizing the existing SECS/GEM standard for equipment connectivity for this reason. According to SEMI, the PV manufacturing community must strengthen its industry-wide standard initiative in order to become truly global.

“[We are] very glad to see the collective work which has happened in the PV-EIS taskforce over the last year and pleased about the decision to adopt the GEM standard in PV. It is critical for us, an equipment manufacturer, to have a single equipment interface to support and the PV industry is moving so fast that it cannot wait any further to develop another standard from scratch.” – Hans Peter-Jakob, head of software development, centrotherm

Dowload the lastest version of the PV 2 standard

PV2 Standards Update

Document #4557, The Guide to PV Equipment Communication Interfaces, was submitted for balloting in October 2008. The PV-EIS Task Force met in March 2009 and resolved all outstanding issues and approved the ballot. On May 13, 2009, the SEMI PV 2 standard - Guide for PV Equipment Communication Interfaces (PVECI) was approved for publication by the global Audits and Reviews Subcommittee. In June 2009, it became available for download at www.semi.org. According to the PV Group’s Photovoltaic Standards Committee, the PV-EIS task force’s next plan of action will be to “initiate a new activity to extend the capabilities of the PVECI guide in terms of material tracking [PVI02-07_04].”

PVECI & Cimetrix

Cimetrix has been involved in the PV-EIS Task Force since its inception. A world-wide factory automation software supplier to the semiconductor industry, Cimetrix is an expert in the SEMI connectivity standards and has already been working with members of the PV industry to utilize its products and expertise to implement the SECS/GEM standards. Cimetrix offers a complete set of proven and efficient equipment communication software solutions for PV manufacturing.

We have representation on the PV-EIS Task Force and hold co-chair positions on both the SEMI Diagnostic Data Acquisition (DDA) and the North America GEM300 Task Forces.

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