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Thin Film Silicon Photovoltaic Technology – From Innovation to Commercialization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Subhendu Guha  and
Jeffrey Yang
Subhendu Guha
Affiliation:
sguha@uni-solar.com, United Solar Ovonic LLC, Troy, Michigan, United States
Jeffrey Yang
Affiliation:
jyang@uni-solar.com, United Solar Ovonic LLC, 1100 West Maple Road, Troy, Michigan, 48084, United States
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Abstract

The last decade has witnessed tremendous progress in the science and technology of thin film silicon (amorphous and nanocrystalline) photovoltaic. The shipment of solar panels using this technology was about 200 MW in 2009; based on announcement of new or expanded production capacity, the shipment is projected to grow ten-times in the next 3-5 years. The key factor that will determine the wide-scale acceptance of the products will be the cost of solar electricity achieved using this technology. Efficiency of solar modules and throughput of production equipment will play a key role. In this paper, we discuss our roadmap to improve the product efficiency and machine throughput.

Keywords

photovoltaicamorphousthin film

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