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THINFILM
Thin film begins to shine
The manufacturers of thin-film solar modules are bringing costs down and gaining in
competitive strength. But classical crystalline silicon technologies will not relinquish their
market positions without a fight because they still hold considerable development
potential. The race to market the most successful solar energy concept is still on.
T
31
he Centre for Research into Solar energy
www
and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) is
.solar
closing the gap separating it from the world’s
leading institutions in the race to market the most
-pv-management.com
efficient thin-film solar cell. Its copper-indium-
gallium-diselenide-based CIS cells achieved
efficiencies of up to 19.6 per cent in a pre-industrial
production line. This means that the Stuttgart-
based research workers are hot on the trail of the
US-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
scoring efficiencies of up to 19.9 per cent under
Issue V 2009
the same conditions.
Mr. Michael Powalla, head of the ZSW
photovoltaics section, proudly announced: “We
want to take the 20 per cent hurdle next”. This
would take the CIS technology into the efficiency
ranges of available crystalline photovoltaics
equipment. Multicrystalline silicon cells, taking the backlog by lower manufacturing costs. Production Quality testing:
lion’s share of the market today, have reached costs over € 2 per watt of electricity generated, A staff member of the
efficiency rates of 20.3 per cent under laboratory this is the same as silicon modules, requiring Berlin-based Inventux
conditions. They are, therefore, hardly more much more semi-conductor material. CIS, company inspecting
efficient than their slimmer competitors. therefore, is still miles away from achieving its the surface of thin-film
major objective which is to generate electricity at silicon module.
But CIS technology is still lagging behind its prices undercutting all other competitors. (Source: Inventux)
potential when it comes to practical applications.
Industry-manufactured modules of this type of Other thin-film technologies, however, cannot take
semi-conductor turn a maximum of 12 per cent of up this challenge either. The experts say that thin-
sunlight into electricity. Multicrystalline modules film silicon modules, for instance, may score
manage up to 18.5 per cent, while monocrystalline efficiency rates of over 15 per cent, and they be
units score conversion rates of up to 20 per cent. may be manufactured at less than € 0.30 per watt
So far, CIS panels cannot make up their efficiency of electricity. Once they actually achieve this, they
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