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Crystalline silicon feedstock for solar cells
Author(s) -
Aulich Hubert A.,
Schulze FriedrichWilhelm
Publication year - 2002
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/pip.415
Subject(s) - raw material , silicon , wafer , photovoltaic system , crystalline silicon , engineering physics , solar cell , materials science , electricity , electricity generation , nanotechnology , environmental science , process engineering , electrical engineering , engineering , optoelectronics , power (physics) , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Abstract The generation of electricity with solar cells is considered to be one of the key technologies of the new century. Over the past ten years the photovoltaic (PV) industry has grown by more than a factor of five to approximately 200 MW p in the year 2000. This impressive growth is mainly based on solar cells made from crystalline silicon. One of the key factors for this growth has been the supply of economically priced silicon from the semiconductor industry. This paper gives an overview on the current silicon feedstock supply and outlines a supply and demand scenario for the next five years. The importance of better silicon utilization per W p module power through thinner Si wafers and higher solar cell efficiency is stressed. The impact of a growing thin‐film technology on the silicon feedstock demand is considered as well. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.