news digest ♦ Solar Solliance collaboration platform.
Solliance’s ambition is to strengthen the position of the Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen triangle (ELAT region) as a world player in thin film PV. Solliance aims to realise this ambition by joint use of state- of-the-art infrastructure, alignment of research programs, and close cooperation with the solar TF- PV business community.
CIGS solar cell with 13.85 percent efficiency fabricated in the new CIGS facility of Solliance
This is similar to industrial CIGS modules with an efficiency of 13-14 percent, but still below the laboratory record efficiency of 20.3 percent on a CIGS solar cell recently reported by ZSW (Stuttgart).
Based on this encouraging result, further improvements of the CIGS cell efficiencies are expected in the next months through an intensified collaboration of TNO and imec in this CIGS facility.
The main focus of the facility will be to improve the large-area uniformity and to reduce run-to-run variability of the CIGS solar cell manufacturing.
The obtained stable and reproducible reference process flow will serve as a solid baseline for developing improved cell concepts and for innovating process equipment for individual process steps.
The facility has all the processing tools needed for a full CIGS solar cell flow on substrates up to 30 x 30cm2 and will be used as a pre-pilotline for testing cell and process equipment concepts.
This CIGS facility of Solliance will also be used for the alternative TF-PV activities of Solliance, aiming to improve the solar cell efficiency of the new and emerging CZTS absorber TF-PV materials. This new absorber is expected to solve the availability problem of the indium and gallium material of the CIGS absorber when these are used in large volume manufacturing. The new CZTS absorber material consists of only abundant elements like copper, zinc, tin, selenium and sulphur.
The imec thin-film solar cell activities, focusing on CZTS and organic PV, are integrated in the
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net January/February 2013
Global Solar Energy slashes workforce by 70 percent
The employees of the CIGS manufacturer mostly affected are dedicated to Global Solar’s roofing product line
Arizona based Global Solar Energy, Inc., has taken cost-cutting measures as it continues to progress the previously announced sale process and evaluate strategic options.
The manufacturer of CIGS flexible solar technology and portable solar products has reduced its work force by about 70 percent to preserve operational and production flexibility. The reduction in force consisted primarily of employees dedicated to Global Solar’s roofing product line. Key technical staff and management have been retained, as well as a production team focused on select customer orders.
Related to recent events, CEO of Global Solar, Jeffrey Britt states, “We continue to work toward a solution which will preserve Global Solar’s industry-leading CIGS technology and production capabilities. We have had a very strong level of investor interest which has been predicated on Global Solar’s high quality products and technological strength.”
Ascent Solar reveals more EnerPlex products
The firm’s latest EnerPlex Jumpr battery packs use the firm’s CIGS technology
The EnerPlex Jumpr is a multipurpose battery
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