Title :
Overview of the US DOE/NREL polycrystalline thin-film photovoltaic technologies
Author :
Ullal, Harin S. ; Zweibel, Kenneth ; Von Roedern, Bolko G. ; Noufi, Rommel ; Sheldon, Peter
Author_Institution :
Nat. Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO, USA
Abstract :
Thin-film solar cells based on CdTe, CuInSe2 (CIS) and Si-film have made rapid progress in the past 18 months. Total-area efficiencies of 16.8% for CIGS, 15.8% for CdTe, and 13.4% for Si-film on graphite cloth, verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, have been achieved thus far. The performance of thin-film modules for both CdTe and CIS have also improved markedly. Stability data for these emerging technologies is encouraging. Nominal 1-kW CIS and CdTe PV arrays have been installed and are undergoing testing. A 2-MW thin-film CdTe manufacturing plant has been installed, and another 10-MW thin-film CdTe plant is expected to be completed in 1996. A new Thin Film Partnership Program has been initiated to further advance the state-of-art of thin film technologies
Keywords :
II-VI semiconductors; cadmium compounds; copper compounds; elemental semiconductors; indium compounds; semiconductor device testing; semiconductor thin films; silicon; solar cell arrays; solar cells; stability; ternary semiconductors; 1 kW; 10 MW; 13.4 to 16.8 percent; 2 MW; CdTe; CuInSe2; NREL; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; PV arrays; Si; Thin Film Partnership Program; US DOE; polycrystalline thin-film photovoltaic technologies; thin-film solar cells; thin-film solar modules; total-area efficiencies; Computational Intelligence Society; Laboratories; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Renewable energy resources; Solar power generation; Stability; Testing; Transistors; US Department of Energy;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.519859
