Solar Film

Solar Power

Of all the solar power products, solar film appears ready to make the greatest gains in production, efficiency and global market share.

The competition for market share in the solar industry is fierce, and a number of companies are involved in advanced research in the photo-voltaic cells market.    The majority of thin film solar applications involve alternatives to silicon in the design of the solar cells.   By using materials with thinner crystals than traditional silicon cells, photo-voltaic (solar) technology allows solar energy collectors to be placed in very thin layers.

Solar film, because of its thin size, requires less materials and tends to perform at higher efficiencies.

While traditional solar cells are typically backed on structures of glass, thin film solar is far more flexible and can be applied to materials such as very thin metals and plastic.   Manufacture of plastic films are promising as they are thin enough to be applied in the same manner as window tinting or plastic window insulation.

Solar power market

Over the next five years the solar power market is expected to change dramatically as a result of solar film production.  It is expected that pv cells which use materials other than silicon will double in market share, taking over about one third of the total market.   This explosive growth shows the huge potentials in this area of research.

Solar Efficiency

While solar film efficiencies are not as high, yet, as silicon based cells they are generally less expensive to produce.  Since they can be applied as film, they require more surface area but tend to be more attractive.   They also tend to be much less expensive to produce because of the simpler manufacturing process.  

The loss in solar efficiency is made up for in volume and the ability to cover larger surfaces.   The lightweight design makes them easier to apply, either by using lighter panels or dispensing with the panels altogether and placing them directly on sun facing surfaces such as windows, roofs and walls.    By being appealing to consumers and removing bulky arrays, solar film is likely to meat less resistance from customers in urban areas.  

Solar efficiencies are lower with films, requiring up to 40% more surface area to achieve the same results as denser pv cells.  While this somewhat limits their usage in areas with limited space such as rooftops, the gap is closing.  In some applications the additional space requirement is currently as low as a modest 15%.  

Advances in solar film technology are expected to eventually make films more energy efficient than conventional panels within a short time frame.

Materials

Thin film solar differs from conventional panels in that it typically uses layered materials.  Substances currently used include;  cadmium-telluride, CIGS or copper-indium-gallium-selenide and amorphous silicon.   Other materials are being tested and rapid advances in nano-technology techniques and applications have resulted in both better manufacturing techniques and novel combinations which create the photo voltaic effects.

Solar Prices

Due to advances in production technology and materials sciences, as well as better economy of scale in mass production, solar prices are rapidly declining.    The current year is expected to see price drops of between 15 and 20%.     Established companies, operating in the traditional crystalline silicon market are still in the race and have large research and development budgets.  The outcome is a win for the consumer, and ultimately both forms of power will likely find their niche in the coming solar economy.

Thin film solar panels

Target prices of thin film solar panels by the end of 2010 are in the range of $1.40 per watt produced.   Traditional panels are expected to be competing at a price of about $2 per watt of energy produced.