Advances in amorphous silicon alloy technology—the achievement of high-efficiency multijunction solar cells and modules
✍ Scribed by Jeffrey C. Yang
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 151 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1062-7995
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Thin-®lm amorphous silicon alloy technology has emerged as a strong contender for providing low-cost photovoltaic products to meet the energy needs of the 21st century. World record 14 . 6% initial and 13 . 0% stable active-area conversion eciencies have been achieved for small-area solar cells in our laboratory using a spectral-splitting, triple-junction structure. This 0 . 25-cm 2 device exhibited a total-area eciency of 12 . 0%, as con®rmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Key factors leading to this achievement will be discussed. We have also demonstrated a 10 . 2% stable module eciency for a one-square-foot area. A state-of-the-art, continuous rollto-roll production line with an annual capacity of 5 MW has been built and started production. Building-integrated photovoltaic applications are being demonstrated worldwide. Public awareness of environmental and ecological issues has provided a great opportunity for the maturing thin-®lm amorphous silicon alloy technology to demonstrate its viability as a major alternate energy source.