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Directory:Thin Film Solar

From PESWiki

Directory of Thin Film Solar technologies and resources.

Table of contents

1.1 Cadmium Telluridium (CdTe)
1.2 Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS)
1.3 Amorphous Silicon (a-Si)
1.4 Dye Sensitized
1.5 Other

2 In the News

3 Support Resources

3.1 Comments
3.2 See also

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Technologies

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Cadmium Telluridium (CdTe)

AVA Solar to Mass Produce Low Cost Solar Panels - AVA Solar will start production next year on cadmium telluride thin film solar PV modules developed at Colorado State University. Produced at less than $1 per watt, the panels will reduce the cost of generating solar electricity to roughly the same as the conventional grid.

First Solar (http://www.firstsolar.com/) - PV Modules designed for large scale, grid-connected solar power plants are sold to leading solar project developers for use in commercial PV projects. Cadmium telluride is uniquely capable of producing low cost solar modules. Its physical properties are optimal for converting sunlight into electricity, resulting in highly efficient photovoltaics with thin (< 3 micron) semiconductor layers. CdTe is a robust material with the demonstrated capacity for high volume, low cost production.

PrimeStar to commercialize NREL solar cells (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/805) - PrimeStar Solar (http://www.primestarsolar.com/) announced an agreement to commercialize high efficiency photovoltaic (PV) technology developed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (http://www.nrel.gov/pv/cdte/) (NREL). The agreement is to transition NREL's record 16.5% efficiency cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology to commercial module production. (Inside Greentech; Feb. 28, 2007)

Cadmium telluride photovoltaic modules (http://media.cleantech.com/2020/q-cells-buys-solar-fields-for-5m) - Germany-based Q-Cells (http://www.qcells.de/cmadmin_2_474_0.html) has acquired Ohio's Solar Fields in a deal that merges their production of cadmium telluride thin film photovoltaic modules. The first prototype facility with a capacity of 25 megawatts is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2008. (Cleantech.com; Nov. 1, 2007)

Painting solar Bloo (http://media.cleantech.com/2434/making-solar-bloo) - Bloo Solar (http://www.bloosolar.com/) plans to use billions of nano-structured photovoltaic cells it calls "bristles," to capture light and boost the overall daily power output of solar modules at dramatically lower costs. It claims to not be dependent on any specific material, though the company has picked cadmium telluride (CdTe) to commercialize initially. (Cleantech.com; Feb. 11, 2008)

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Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS)

Global Solar (http://www.globalsolar.com/) - Since 1996 Global Solar Energy has evolved into a major producer of thin-film photovoltaic Copper Indium Gallium DiSelenide (CIGS) solar cells. GSE is now the leading manufacturer of CIGS thin-film solar on a flexible substrate.

Nanosolar a leader in the drive to make solar affordable - Nanosolar has developed proprietary technology that makes it possible to simply roll-print solar cells with performance and durability similar to silicon-wafer cells, while cutting the costs, making solar affordable. The long-term limitation will be the growing scarcity of Indium. (PESWiki; April 6, 2008)

SA thin film solar eclipses others - South African solar panels consist of a thin layer approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick) of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy at a fraction of the cost. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces. Expected in market in 2007. (PESWiki)

DayStar Technologies - Photovoltaic Foil™ is a unique combination of Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) technology solar cells placed on flexible specialty metal foils. Unlike traditional solar cells which are brittle and require rigid, heavy module packaging to protect the cells from the environment, DayStar's CIGS-based Photovoltaic Foil™ is very lightweight, flexible and robust. (PESWiki)

Miasolé (http://www.miasole.com/) - Manufactures a thin-film photovoltaic cell consisting of an ultra-thin layer of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) on a stainless steel foil only 50 microns thick. It can easily be used in PV modules or incorporated into building materials like membrane roofing, and can weigh between 80 and 90 percent less than glass plate modules. Its power output is greater than crystalline silicon's in both low light and low-angle light.

Honda's Silcion-Free Solar Cells (http://www.metaefficient.com/archives/renewable-power/hondas-silcionfree-solar-cells.html) - Honda has begun selling new thin-film solar cells in Japan made with a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS), rather than silicon. The CIGS solar cells have a maximum output of 125 watts and will sell for approximately 60,375 yen ($495) in Japan. (MetaEfficient)

10% efficient CIGS thin-film (http://media.cleantech.com/2366/global-solar-claims-10-percent-efficiency-for-thin-film) - Global Solar Energy (http://www.globalsolar.com/) announced that its copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film solar cells reached an average of 10 percent efficiency over several production runs. The company said it started production of its CIGS thin-film solar cells on a flexible substrate in 2004 and manufactured and shipped 4 megawatts of photovoltaic material last year. (Cleantech.com; Jan. 28, 2008)

- Global Solar modules get U.S. military approval (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/1428) - Global Solar Energy (http://www.globalsolar.com/), maker of flexible thin-film Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells, has passed U.S. military tests and received a coveted rating. The company's folding solar module was subjected to immersion, vibration, high temperature storage, low temperature storage, temperature shock, altitude, sand & dust and transit drop testing. (Inside Greentech; Jul. 9, 2007)

HelioVolt (http://www.heliovolt.com/) has developed the fastest and most effective way to manufacture CIGS (Copper Indium Galluium Selenide) (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/cis.html), the most reliable and best-performing thin film material for generating electricity from sunlight. HelioVolt's FASST™ technology can apply efficient CIGS coatings in custom shapes, sizes, and tints to create power generating glass, steel, metal and polymers, making possible a new generation of solar power modules and photovoltaic construction materials.

SoloPower (http://www.solopower.com/) - Electrochemistry based CIGS technology will enable production of high efficiency solar cells at a fraction of the cost of traditional CIGS fabrication methods, built on a thin flexible foil substrate. The total thickness of the active layers is in the order of 2 micrometers, resulting in efficient use of materials without negatively impacting the conversion efficiency.

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Amorphous Silicon (a-Si)

ePOD (http://www.epodinc.com/) - has developed a new solar panel assembly-manufacturing process that reduces costs to manufacture a Thin Film Amorphous Silicon solar panel by 40%. The process uses 50% less glass and at a cost up to 30% lower than competing thin-film panels. Further benefits result from reduced shipping and installation costs.

Evergreen Solar (http://www.evergreensolar.com/) - String Ribbon combines the best attributes of conventional crystalline silicon and emerging thin films. It achieves the reliability, stability, high efficiency, and market acceptance of crystalline silicon - without the inherent cost and waste of sawing. And it embodies the efficient material utilization and potential for continuous processing of thin films, but with a more manufacturable process.

SCHOTT Sends Thin Film Shipments (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=5424C683F3E5CA90A02BE37E70F81A58?id=51100) - SCHOTT Solar (http://www.schott.com/photovoltaic/english/) opened its new manufacturing facility last November and is has already started shipping. The new factory in Jena produces the SCHOTT ASI thin film module. Production began on schedule and the first palettes of product have been shipped to the company's sales partners. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 11, 2008)

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Dye Sensitized

G24 Innnovations Ltd rolls out solar - Automated "roll-to-roll" manufacturing process transforms a lightweight roll of metal foil into a 100-pound half-mile of G24i’s Dye Sensitized Thin Film in less than three hours. This material is rugged, flexible, lightweight and generates electricity even indoors and in low light conditions.

Orionsolar (http://www.orionsolar.net/) - Dye cells generate electricity using nano-sized titanium dioxide particles impregnated with dye, work well in a wide range of lighting conditions and are particularly suited to warmer climates. Orionsolar has developed low cost printing and laminating techniques which could reduce the cost of dye cells to 70 cents per peak watt, making solar energy competitive with fossil fuels.

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Other

Nanostructures Will Raise Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/540827/?sc=dwhp) - Thanks to nanostructures that scatter and channel light, University of California, San Diego electrical engineers are working toward thin-film “single junction” solar cells with the potential for nearly 45 percent sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies. (NewsWise; May 15, 2008)

Innovalight (http://www.innovalight.com/) - Innovalight is harnessing a proprietary silicon-ink process to print thin-film solar power modules. Leveraging the advantages of solvent-based processing, Innovalight will help accelerate the promise of more affordable solar power solutions for residential and commercial applications.

NanoGram (http://www.nanogram.com/) - NanoGram Solar (http://www.nanogram.com/?p=solar) is developing low cost thin solar modules with the efficiency and reliability of crystalline silicon. With successful development, combined performance and cost (<$1/Wp in modules) could beat other emerging technologies.

Solar cells now cheaper than coal (http://www.greenoptimistic.com/index.php/2008/03/26/solar-cells-now-cheaper-than-coal/) - The Green Optimistic (http://www.greenoptimistic.com/) Nanosolar has created a thin film solar battery, much more efficient than anything existing on the market nowadays. (The Green Optimistic; Mar. 26, 2008)

Solar cells as cheap as conventional electricity (http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9865042-54.html?tag=cd.blog) - Suniva (http://www.suniva.com/) will commercialize its monocrystalline silicon solar cell technology, which it says will be as cheap as conventional electricity. Suniva will make very thin solar cells--less than 100 microns, with efficiency of 20% and a manufacturing process that is efficient as well. (CNET News; Feb. 5, 2008)

New nanostructured thin film shows promise for efficient solar energy conversion (http://www.energytech-today.com/display_Story.asp?a=5957) - Researchers at Berkeley have demonstrated highly efficient thermoelectric behavior from arrays of silicon nanowires grown onto a silicon wafer. The technology is compatible with fabrication processes used in the large-scale silicon processing industry. A low-cost thermoelectric system could be used to generate electricity from heat lost from fossil-fuel based energy generation. (EnergyTech Today; Jan. 8, 2008)

Active Building Envelope system provides heating and cooling - The ABE system being developed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute accomplishes the jobs of both cooling and heating, yet operates silently with no moving parts, using a thin-film technology that adheres both solar cells and heat pumps onto surfaces. (PESWiki)

InterPhases (http://www.interphases.com/index.html) has developed a technology that can dramatically lower the cost of solar electricity generation. It combines an inherently efficient and stable material - n-copper indium selenide ( nCIS ), with an inexpensive, high throughput manufacturing method.

Ascent Solar aims for 5 cents/kW-hr electricity production from its thin-film modules (http://www.ascentsolar.com/) - Large photovoltaic modules in roll formats will be integrated with various construction materials to produce multiple "plug-and-play" Building Integrated PV (BIPV) products for commercial and residential applications.

Cyrium Technologies (http://www.cyriumtechnologies.com/aboutus_companyprofile.html) - Developing a photovoltaic solar cell technology using semiconductor quantum dot NanoTechnology to increase photovoltaic solar cell efficiency by 40% above the state-of-the-art products.

Krystal Planet > Krystal Planet Markets Available Renewable Energy Devices (http://pesn.com/2007/03/25/9500465_Krystal-Planet/) - Company network presently sells wind, solar, biodiesel and energy conservation products for residential and commercial applications, at competitive price points, with financing available. (PESN; March 25, 2007)

Spheral Solar Power (http://www.spheralsolar.com/) - Spheral Solar™ cells bridge the gap between high efficiency silicon solar panels and flexible thin film technology by combining them in one module. SSP’s silicon and aluminum flexible solar cells are ideal for: Roofing products of all shapes and contours, Building facades, Shutters and walls, Portable products for RV’s/boats/automobiles, OEM vehicle integration systems.

Spheral Solar Power (http://www.spheralsolar.com/) - Wrapping buildings and siding for solar energy generation. Panels are flexible, lightweight, durable, combining the high efficiency of traditional silicon technology with the flexibility of thin film technology in one module.

Konarka (http://www.konarka.com/) - Konarka’s lower cost coatable, plastic, flexible photovoltaic material can be used in many applications like tents, awnings, roofs, windows and window coverings, cell phones and portable music players. It can utilize a wider range of the light spectrum than conventional solar cells, visible and invisible light sources, not just sunlight, can be used to generate power indoors or outside.

Global Photonic Energy Corp (http://www.globalphotonic.com/) - GPEC has created Organic Photovoltaic (OPV™) cells with new capabilities by using materials made with carbon - one of the most ubiquitous molecules in nature and a fundamental building block of natural systems. This organic, small-molecular photovoltaic technology represents a departure from the past with solar cells that can be: Ultra-low cost. Flexible and lightweight. Amenable to continuous, "roll-to-roll" manufacture. Applied to virtually any surface including curved and non-planar surfaces. Semi-transparent. Color tuned.

VHF-Technologies (http://www.flexcell.com/) - Flexcell manufactures light, thin and flexible PV cells, using a proprietary thin film coating technology developed to deposit a single amorphous silicon layer on low cost plastic substrates using roll-to-roll manufacturing. Key characteristics: highly flexible, customised & integratable, thin & lightweight, unbreakable, environmentally friendly. The energy payback is 3-5 times faster than products based on conventional PV technologies.

PowerFilm (http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/) - Manufactures monolithically-integrated solar panels on plastic using a roll-to-roll process. The flexible yet durable polymide substrate is light weight and paper thin. As low as 1% the amount of silicon in traditional panels is used in the absorber layer. The panels can be integrated into products and building materials.

DrexelSolar (http://www.drexelsolar.com/) - Drexel standing seam metal roof (http://www.drexmet.com/) systems combine a structural roofing product with the solar electric capabilities of thin film photovoltaics. The energy savings of a cool metal roof using reflective pigments are combined with the energy generation of a PV laminate to reduce a homeowner’s energy bill.

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In the News

Solar technology that works at night (http://www.gizmag.com/researchers-developing-solar-technology-that-works-at-night/8574/) - INL (http://www.inl.gov/) and MicroContinuum (http://www.microcontinuum.com/) are developing cheap solar technology that could absorb energy from both sunlight and the earth's heat, with 80% efficiency compared to 20% for conventional solar cells. Tiny square metal spirals, or “nanoantennas”, are stamped onto a sheet of plastic and can be made of a number of different conducting metals. (GizMag; Jan. 4, 2008) Other potential applications (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1357/)

HelioVolt to build CIGS factory in Texas (http://media.cleantech.com/2229/heliovolt-to-build-first-factory-in-austin-texas) - HelioVolt (http://www.heliovolt.com/) announced plans to build its first thin film solar factory in Austin, Texas. The plant will have an initial production capacity of 20 megawatts and will begin manufacturing copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS, thin-film solar products in 2008. (Cleantech; Dec. 20, 2007)

First CIGS thin-film panels shipped (http://media.cleantech.com/2214/nanosolar-starts-shipping-its-first-thin-film-solar-panels) - Nanosolar (http://www.nanosolar.com/) has started shipping thin-film solar panels, making it the first company to market copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS, solar products. They are going to a solar power plant in Germany that will use Nanosolar's Utility Panel to drive the cost efficiency of solar electricity systems. (Cleantech; Dec. 18, 2007)

First Solar stands alone (http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9821209-54.html?tag=cd.blog) - First Solar (http://www.firstsolar.com/), which makes cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cells, is having one of those years that corporate managers and investors dream about. So the question is, how come they don't have any major competitors? Copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar cells aren't even on the market. CdTe works and there are customers. (CNET News; Nov. 20, 2007)

Nanosolar wins PopSci award (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/green/item_59.html) - Nanosolar (http://www.nanosolar.com/) PowerSheet thin film solar panel has won the 2007 Popular Science Innovation of the Year award. They are made with printing-press-style machines that set down a layer of solar-absorbing nano-ink onto metal sheets as thin as aluminum foil, so the panels can be made for as little as 30 cents a watt. (Popular Science; 2007)

Nano Thin Film PV (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=DD71793F50959CDB63017302DF2F7415?id=50176) - Liquidia (http://www.liquidia.com./) is developing high-efficiency, cost-effective patterned thin film photovoltaic solar cells based on their PRINT platform for precision nanomolding. It combines photolithographic precision with a scalable continuous manufacturing process. (Renewable Energy Access; Oct. 5, 2007)

Energy-Generating Solar Roadways (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/solar_roadways.php) - Solar Roadways (http://www.solarroadways.com/) claims that a series of roads built out of solar panels could supply all of our country's energy needs several times over. The three layer roadways would also contain a revised version of the nation's electric grid and a network of communications cables. (TreeHugger; Aug. 20, 2007)

BioSolar (http://www.biosolar.com/) - developer of thin film, flexible solar cells on bio-based plastic substrates, seeks to bring powerful cost advantages to the solar cell manufacturing industry. By manufacturing thin-film solar cells on a bio-based substrate and using vastly lower amounts of amorphous silicon, the company expects to leapfrog current production bottlenecks. The BioBacksheet (http://www.biosolar.com/view_news.php?id=22) is in commercial production. (BioSolar News Release; March 10, 2008)

New Firm Enters Thin Film Solar PV Market (http://www.aer-online.com/e107_plugins/content/content_lt.php?content.497) - Signet Solar (http://www.signetsolar.com/) was recently launched by a group of semiconductor executives to manufacture large area, low cost, thin film silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules. It will design and produce PV modules for applications such as farms, large commercial installations and remote habitation. (Alternative Energy Retailer; May 15, 2007)

Ascent to develop 20% efficiency thin film cells (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/1142) - Ascent Solar (http://www.ascentsolar.com/) has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to develop a flexible thin film tandem solar cell to demonstrate thin film photovoltaic efficiencies of 20%. Tandem solar cells are a combination of two cells stacked atop one another, with the top and bottom cells gathering energy from separate parts of the solar spectrum. (Inside Greentech; May 9, 2007)

Aussies make solar power cell breakthrough (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21654603-5001028,00.html?from=public_rss) - Researchers have developed a means of increasing the cell's light-trapping ability by up to 50% by placing a thin film of silver onto a cell and heating it to 200C. The film breaks into tiny "islands" of silver and raises the light-trapping efficiency to between 13-15%, compared to 8-10% for most thin-film solar cells. (Daily Telegraph; May 1, 2007)

Cheap solar power poised to undercut oil and gas by half (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/02/19/ccview19.xml) - Within five years, solar power will be cheap enough to compete with carbon-generated electricity, even in Britain, Scandinavia or upper Siberia. In a decade, the cost may have fallen so dramatically that solar cells could undercut oil, gas, coal and nuclear power by up to half. (Telegraph; UK; Feb. 18, 2007)

Frankfurt's First Solar-Cell Plant (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=3F55B44FDAF944D64AE5749A8E041C9B?id=48155) - Odersun (http://www.odersun.de/home_en.html) thin-film flexible solar modules on copper tape can be produced for use in cells of all sizes and quality for facades and roofs, solar power stations and designer bags with an integrated "power socket" -- all without requiring special complicated or expensive silicon technology. (Renewable Energy Access; Apr. 17, 2007)

Cheap solar power poised to undercut oil and gas by half (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/02/19/ccview19.xml) - Flisom (http://www.flisom.ch/e/) expects their thin-film solar cells to be cost competitive ($.80/watt) with fossil-fuel generated power within five years, and 50% cheaper ($.50/watt) within ten years (commercially available in late 2009). Current solar capital cost is about $3 to $4 per watt vs. $1 for carbon power. (Telegraph; Feb. 18, 2007) (Thanks TreeHugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/thinfilm-solar-clobbering-oil.php))

First Solar reaches orbit (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/742) - First Solar (http://www.firstsolar.com/) reported yearly revenue growth of 388% on sales of low cost Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar modules, designed for large scale, grid-connected solar power plants. Manufacturing costs have been reduced to $1.25 per watt, and the company will supply solar modules (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=C916E9F8ED86498FE4985DDDC0AB19D0?id=47541) for a 40-megawatt solar power plant (http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=229884) in Germany. (Inside Greentech; Feb. 14, 2007)

The Future in a Tiny Solar Sphere (http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006018.html) - Kyosemi’s (http://www.kyosemi.co.jp/index_e.html) innovative new Sphelar® (http://www.kyosemi.co.jp/product/pro_ene_sun_e.html) is a matrix of tiny, spherical-shaped solar cells that are designed to absorb sunlight at any angle, and do not require motorization for tracking the sun. They optimize the use of reflected and indirect light, and convert energy with close to 20% efficiency. (WorldChanging; Feb. 5, 2007)

Easy Solar Power (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternative_Energy/2006-10-01/Easy_Solar_Power) - Installing solar power is easy, thanks to ECD Ovonics (http://www.ovonic.com/eb_so_thin_film_pv_technology.cfm) amorphous silicon thin-film photovoltaic (PV) laminates that can be bonded directly onto metal roofing panels. You just unroll the unbreakable peel-and-stick sheet, lay it faceup on a flat metal roofing panel and press it onto the panel while your assistant pulls the protective sheet off the sticky backing. (Mother Earth News; October/November 2006)

The Building Is the Solar Cell (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72323-0.html?tw=wn_technology_9) - A new solar panel is 100 times thinner and could be significantly cheaper than silicon photovoltaics. Building materials such as steel, glass and roofing may soon have embedded solar cells thanks to a thin-film technology that uses copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS. HelioVolt's (http://www.heliovolt.com/) manufacturing process is 80 to 98 % faster than other thin-film manufacturing processes. (Wired News; December 21, 2006)

Printed solar cells nearly ready (http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/01/23heliovolt.html) - HelioVolt (http://www.heliovolt.com/) of Austin, TX, will have its solar-generating technology embedded into building products such as metal roofs, skylights, exterior glass and curtain walls, turning parts of a building into a power generator, more efficiently and at a lower cost than traditional solar technology. (Statesman.com; Jan. 23, 2006)

The Solar Wall (http://www.unirac.com/integ/bi_pg100.htm) - The Solar Wall at the Welsh Development Agency technology center in St. Asaph, North Wales generates up to 85 kilowatts of electricity from 2,400 Shell Solar (http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=shellsolar) CIS thin film modules. Ventilation behind the panels minimizes operating temperatures and thus maximizing output.

SolarMount (http://www.unirac.com/solarmount/sm_newfeatures_sbf.html) rails were cold-rolled around a 3-meter radius, allowing them to follow the curving facade of the building.

More Efficient Solar Cells (http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17577&ch=energy) - Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a new type of semiconductor material that can capture low-energy photons for electricity, by introducing a few atoms of oxygen into a zinc-manganese-tellurium (ZnMnTe) alloy. LBNL has licensed the technology to RoseStreet Labs (http://www.rosestreetlabs.com/), which plans to commercialize solar cells made from these multi-band semiconductors, which could have efficiencies of around 45 percent. (Technology Review; October 04, 2006)

CSU Team Develops Cheaper Panel for Solar Energy (http://www.engr.colostate.edu/comm/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=con.main&ID=380&cat=1) - Colorado State University (http://www.engr.colostate.edu/me/facil/mel/index.html) research team is on the brink of mass-producing solar panels that will compete price-wise, for the first time, with traditional energy sources. "We're right now at the point where we can make electricity for the same cost as that generated from gas or coal." AVA Technologies LLC and First Solar LLC, use the process in which the chemical compound cadmium telluride (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/cadmium_telluride.html) is deposited in a thin film on a glass surface. (Engineering News CSU; February 13, 2006)

High-Performance Multijunction Thin Films (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/hp_multijunction.html) - Researchers test the voltage output of their award-winning gallium indium phosphide/gallium arsenide tandem solar cell, which has achieved record efficiencies in converting sunlight to electricity. By producing a concentrator cell with efficiency greater than 30%, NREL scientists passed an important milestone of the PV program. (U.S. DOE EERE Solar Energy Technologies Program)

Organic Photovoltaics Absorb From Near Infrared Frequencies (http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/003211.html) - Global Photonic Energy Corporation (GPEC), developer of organic photovoltaic (OPVtm) technology for ultra-low cost high power solar cells, announced that the company's research partners at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (USC) have achieved a new record in an organic solar cell that is responsive to light in the near infrared (NIR) range of the solar spectrum. NIR radiation is invisible to the human eye. Under only NIR radiation, the Princeton solar cell would appear to be generating power in the dark -- as the human eye is only sensitive to visible light. The amount of incoming photons across the UV, visible and IR spectrums is about 4%, 51% and 45%, respectively. (FuturePundit; January 08, 2006)

Solar Startup to Commercialize Thin-Film PV (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=25776) - RoseStreet said the solar cells will be the first commercialized that "capture the broad spectrum of the sun's energy utilizing thin film technology, a single material system and with potential efficiencies exceeding 55 percent." (Renewable Energy Access; April. 21, 2005)

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Support Resources

ProtoFlex Corporation (http://www.protoflexcorp.com) - "Want to produce thin film solar cells? ProtoFlex offers complete proto-to-production packages. We have the expertise, thin film tools, production ramp experience, characterization tools, and cost-modelling experience to help you get your product to market."

Applied Materials (http://www.appliedmaterials.com/products/web_smartweb_5.html?menuID=15_1_1) - The new SmartWeb PV web coating system with multiprocessing capabilities focuses on high performance roll-to-roll thin film applications. The SmartWeb PV introduces an innovative vacuum coating system for mass production of flexible solar cells.

Ascentool (http://www.ascentool.com/) - in the business of designing, technology licensing and consulting related to equipment and its processes used in making semiconductor, flat panel displays (FPD), MEMS and solar photovoltaic devices.

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