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Thin‐film (CIS) photovoltaics: a consortium approach to technology development and manufacturing
Author(s) -
Misra Mohan S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(199709/10)5:5<333::aid-pip182>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - photovoltaics , manufacturing engineering , indium , scale (ratio) , production (economics) , nanotechnology , photovoltaic system , materials science , process engineering , computer science , engineering , electrical engineering , optoelectronics , physics , quantum mechanics , economics , macroeconomics
Based on the various laboratory experiments, polycrystalline thin‐film photovoltaics such as copper indium diselenide (CIS)‐based alloys have exhibited device efficiencies higher than 16·0% as well as the potential for low production costs of $1·00 W −1 for the monolithically integrated modules. However, these potentials have not been realized during large‐scale production due to complex manufacturing operations. Global Solar Energy (GSE) has been successful in developing a large‐scale manufacturing process for CIS modules that incorporates intelligent processing. One of the main factors in GSE's success is the use of a ‘consortium approach’ to bring together a group of companies and universities with the necessary expertise to develop the complex CIS technologies. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.