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General Interest

Search the Thin-film Resource Database for more articles, news, and reports.

Thin films have an important place in the overall role of PV in meeting key issues like climate change, oil depletion, and energy diversity and security. In fact, many believe that thin films are the most crucial PV options for addressing these important societal goals.

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Journal Articles

Conference Papers

Post Date	05/30/2008
Title	THE ROLE OF POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN-FILM PV TECHNOLOGIES IN COMPETITIVE PV MODULE MARKETS
Link	(PDF 351 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	B. Von Roedern, H. S. Ullal
Description	This paper discusses the developments in thin-film PV technologies. It provides an outlook on future commercial module efficiencies achievable based on today?s knowledge about champion cell performance. It also provides a relative cost comparison of thin-film and wafer/ribbon based Si PV modules. In 2007, about 65% of the modules produced in the US were thin-film modules when amorphous silicon modules are also considered.
Venue	Presented at the 33rd IEEE PVSC Conference, San Diego, CA 05/12-16/2008
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/2008

Post Date	09/28/2007
Title	THIN FILM CIGS AND CDTE PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES: COMMERCIALIZATION, CRITICAL ISSUES, AND APPLICATIONS
Link	(PDF 725 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	H. S. Ullal, B. Von Roedern
Description	We report here on the major commercialization aspects of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies based on CIGS and CdTe (a-Si and thin-Si are also reported for completeness on the status of thin-film PV). Worldwide silicon (Si) based PV technologies continues to dominate at more than 94% of the market share, with the share of thin-film PV at less than 6%. However, the market share for thin-film PV in the United States continues to grow rapidly over the past several years and in CY 2006, they had a substantial contribution of about 44%, compared to less than 10% in CY 2003. In CY 2007, thin-film PV market share is expected to surpass that of Si technology in the United States. Worldwide estimated projections for CY 2010 are that thin-film PV production capacity will be more than 3700 MW. A 40-MW thin-film CdTe solar field is currently being installed in Saxony, Germany, and will be completed in early CY 2009. The total project cost is Euro 130 million, which equates to an installed PV system price of Euro 3.25/-watt averaged over the entire solar project. This is the lowest price for any installed PV system in the world today. Critical research, development, and technology issues for thin-film CIGS and CdTe are also elucidated in this paper.
Venue	22nd EC PVSEC, Milano, Italy Sep 3-7, 2007, paper presented
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	09/2007

Post Date	01/03/2008
Title	EFFECT OF SURFACE PASSIVATION ON SI HETEROJUNCTION AND INTERDIGITATED BACK CONTACT SOLAR CELLS
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Authors	U. Das, R. W. Birkmire
Description	Excellent surface passivation (?eff > 1 msec) and high VOC in SHJ cells are achieved by both RF and DC plasma process with hydrogen dilution. Any epitaxial / nanocrystalline growth of i-layer reduces ?eff and cell VOC. The structure of deposited thin Si:H layers strongly depend on the Si substrate orientation. The front emitter SHJ cell efficiency approaching 19% with VOC of 694 mV was achieved on textured Cz wafer using DC plasma deposited i-layer. The exploratory heterojunction cells in IBC structure reveals importance of surface passivation in the rear to achieve high VOC (683 mV) and JSC but demands further optimization of i-layer for improved carrier transport across it and cell FF.
Venue	Institute of Energy Conversion, U. Delaware. Presented at the 17th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells & Modules: Materials and Processes (Vail, Cascade Resort, Vail, CO, Aug. 5 ? 8, 2007).
Source	University of Delaware
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	08/05/2007

Post Date	10/26/2006
Title	BOS COST SAVINGS NEEDS AND POTENTIAL FOR LARGE SCALE GROUND BASED PV SYSTEMS UNTIL 2010
Link	(PDF 495 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	M. Bachler
Description	More and more large scale ground based systems were implemented with thin-film modules in the past years in Germany. Based on module pricing thin film modules appear to be very attractive for this type of application. However there are quite significant differences in balance-of-system (BOS) costs within different c-Si and thin film (TF) module types, which have a high impact on total system costs. The BOS cost portion is significantly higher for systems with TF modules compared to c-Si modules. Existing c-Si modules and BOS components were developed and optimized to achieve cost savings in the past decades already a lot. TF modules as well as the related BOS components are at the very beginning of this development so the cost saving potential ? especially for BOS costs is considered to be significantly higher for TF module based systems. Since a 6.5% degression in the feed-in tariff is required in the German EEG for ground based systems a high cost reduction pressure is imposed on total system costs. The results of BOS cost savings achieved already will be demonstrated for a sample thin-film module.
Venue	Dresden World Conference
Source	Phonix SonnenStrom AG
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	09/2006

Post Date	09/15/2006
Title	PAPERS WERE PRESENTED AT THE 21ST EUROPEAN PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY CONFERENCE, DRESDEN, GERMANY, 4-8 SEPTEMBER 2006
Link	(MS Word 27 KB)
Authors	M. J. De Wild-Scholten, et al.
Description	ES&H papers available from http://www.ecn.nl/publicaties/default.aspx?au=44649
Venue	21st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Dresden, Germany, 4-8 September 2006
Source	Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	09/2006

Post Date	06/14/2006
Title	CDTE PHOTOVOLTAICS: LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE AND COMPARISONS
Link	(PDF 210 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	V. Fthenakis
Description	We discuss the emissions of cadmium throughout all the life stages of CdTe PV modules, from extracting, refining, and purifying the raw materials to producing, using, and disposing or recycling of the modules. Then, we compare these emissions with those in the life cycle of three different types of crystalline Si PV modules. The energy requirement and energy pay back times (EPBT) of CdTe PV modules is considerably shorter than that of crystalline Si modules, although the latter exhibit higher efficiencies. This difference is primarily due to the energy used to process silicon, a fraction of which is derived from fossil fuels, inevitably producing Cd and many other heavy-metal emissions.
Venue	Presented at the European Material Research Society Meeting
Source	N/A
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	06/2006

Post Date	06/02/2006
Title	ULTRA-LIGHT AMORPHOUS SILICON CELL FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS
Link	(PDF 140 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	N. Wyrsch
Description	For space applications, solar cells should be optimized for highest power density rather than for highest efficiency. In this context, relatively low efficiency thin-film solar cell may well surpass multi-junction III-V based solar cells if they can be made thin enough. In thin-film solar cells the power density is mostly limited by the substrate. The introduction of ultra-thin polymeric substrates is the key for decreasing the cell mass. In this work, a very thin polyimide film LaRC?-CP1 was used as substrate or superstrate for amorphous silicon solar cell fabrication. CP1 films were either fixed on a glass carrier or spin coated onto a glass carrier coated with a release agent. By depositing amorphous silicon cells on 6 �m thick CP1 films, a power density of 2.9 W/g under AM1.5g and of 3.9 W/g (estimated) under AM0 illumination spectra was achieved, in substrate (n-i-p) configuration (for a cell area of ca. 0.25 cm2).
Venue	4th WCPEC May 2006
Source	University of Neuchatel
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/2006

Post Date	05/22/2006
Title	TECHNOLOGY CHOICE AND THE COST REDUCTION POTENTIAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS
Link	(PDF 116 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	J. E. Trancik, K. Zweibel
Description	We use a combination of system component analyses and individual experience curves for crystalline silicon (x-Si) modules, thin-film (TF) modules, and the balance of system (BOS) components, to compare future growth scenarios for photovoltaics (PV). The growth rates of TF and x-Si technologies are varied, while overall PV growth is held constant at 30%. For each of these scenarios, we estimate the total investment required for PV to reach a break-even point with fossil fuel based generation; and we investigate the intrinsic/lowest achievable costs from an analysis of potential materials, processing, and efficiency improvements. Our results show that a high growth rate (50 to 70% per year) of new technologies with low intrinsic costs could decrease the total investment required to reach break-even by up to 70 billion USD, as compared to a scenario where x-Si continues to dominate the market. Furthermore, the system component analysis indicates that existing TF modules can reach the low cost levels assumed in the experience curve model. These results suggest that the future growth of photovoltaics (PV) is dependent on which PV technologies grow most rapidly. New, low intrinsic cost technologies that are successfully able to enter the market could dramatically increase the potential for PV to become a globally significant energy conversion technology within the next two decades.
Venue	Trancik and Zweibel, WCPEC-4 2006
Sources	National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Santa Fe Institute
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/2006

Post Date	05/18/2006
Title	HIGH-EFFICIENCY CDTE AND CIGS THIN-FILM SOLAR CELLS: HIGHLIGHTS AND CHALLENGES
Link	(MS Word 602 KB)
Authors	R. Noufi, K. Zweibel
Description	Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules of CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) have the potential to reach cost-effective PV-generated electricity. These technologies have transitioned from the laboratory to the market place. Pilot production and first-time manufacturing are ramping up to higher capacity and enjoying a flood of venture-capital funding. CIGS solar cells and modules have achieved 19.5% and 13% efficiencies, respectively. Likewise, CdTe cells and modules have reached 16.5% and 10.2% efficiencies, respectively. Even higher efficiencies from the laboratory and from the manufacturing line are only a matter of time. Manufacturing-line yield continues to improve and is surpassing 85%. Long-term stability has been demonstrated for both technologies; however, some failures in the field have also been observed, emphasizing the critical need for understanding degradation mechanisms and packaging options. These two thin-film technologies have a common device/module structure: substrate, base electrode, absorber, junction layer, top electrode, patterning steps for monolithic integration, and encapsulation. The monolithic integration of thin-film solar cells can lead to significant manufacturing cost reduction compared to crystalline Si technology. The CdTe and CIGS modules share common structural elements. In principle, this commonality should lead to similar manufacturing cost per unit area, and thus, the module efficiency becomes the discriminating factor that determines the cost per watt. The long-term potential of the two technologies require R&D emphasis on science and engineering-based challenges to find solutions to achieve targeted cost-effective module performance, and in-field durability. Some of the challenges are common to both, e.g., in-situ process control and diagnostics, thinner absorber, understanding degradation mechanisms, protection from water vapor, and innovation in high-speed processing and module design. Other topics are specific to the technology, such as lower-cost and fast-deposition processes for CIGS, and improved back contact and voltage for CdTe devices.
Venue	WPEC4, Hawaii
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	05/2006

Post Date	08/25/2006
Title	POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS: FROM THE LABORATORY TO SOLAR FIELDS
Link	(PDF 682 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	B. Von Roedern, H. S. Ullal, K. Zweibel
Description	We review the status of commercial polycrystalline thin-film solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) modules, including current and projected commercialization activities. Major technical progress has occurred in the area of thin-film PV technologies, particularly those based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium diselenide (CuInGaSe2)
Venue	Presented at the 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-4) Waikoloa, Hawaii May 7?12, 2006 Conference Paper NREL/CP-520-39838 May 2006
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/2006

Post Date	05/26/2006
Title	A ROAD MAP TO THE DECARBONIZATION OF THE U.S. ENERGY MIX. THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY
Link	(MS Word 181 KB)
Authors	R. Shinnar, F. Citro
Description	In this paper we present a plan for the gradual replacement of 98% of our total fossil fuel needs with available and affordable technology (which would also reduce 97% of present total CO2 emissions). We show that the direct use of electricity produced from alternative sources can replace 72% of the fossil fuel we consume. Another 26% can be replaced by hydrocarbons produced from syngas, a mixture of carbon oxides produced by gasifying biomass and hydrogen generated by electrolysis powered by alternative energy sources. 50% of this goal could be achieved over thirty years, and 80-90% over about 50 years. We have limited the scope of this paper to a discussion of our technological options. A comprehensive plan would also focus on other critical problems such as priorities and costs, political and economic constraints, regulatory issues and government-mandated incentives without which the free market is not likely to reduce CO2 emissions or prepare for a distant, uncertain future. However, for society the penalty of strongly reduced oil and gas supplies would be catastrophic, unless we prepare in advance, as the timescale for achieving a substantial reduction is very large. Such a plan must be based on existing technologies, or at least on technologies that are available in a form which can be scaled up and implemented at a cost that can be estimated reliably. While research could and should lead to better technologies, and should be continued, we can never be sure which research will lead to useful results. In the 1970s, a worldwide research effort to produce H2 from nuclear reactors by thermochemical cycles was terminated with no results after approximately 40 billion (2005 dollars) dollars were spent (2). Further constraint on any such a plan is that the new technology should allow gradual phase in and preferably should use available distribution systems, which suggests wide use of electricity from alternative sources.
Venue	Presented at the AAAS Symposium on the Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy Mix, St. Louis, February 2006
Source	AAAS
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	02/2006

Post Date	12/08/2005
Title	ENERGY USE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF THIN FILM CDTE PHOTOVOLTAICS
Link	(PDF 291 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	V. Fthenakis
Description	With a growing public interest in renewable energy sources, significant attention is paid to the life cycle analysis (LCA) of photovoltaic (PV) devices. Thin film cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules are one of the most promising new, thin-film PV technologies. In its early stage of commercialization, the life cycle environmental performance of a CdTe solar cell is relatively unknown, as the life cycle energy use and emission data on the production stage of cell materials as Cd and Te are scarce and new, advanced vapor deposition processes have prevailed [1]. Early studies indicate that manufacturing of CdTe modules would require 3-4 times less primary energy per m2
Venue	Proceedings of Symposium G-Life Cycle Analysis, MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MS, Nov. 29-Dec 2. 2005
Source	Brookhaven National Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	11/2005

Post Date	12/08/2005
Title	PROCEEDINGS OF SYMPOSIUM G-LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS, MRS FALL MEETING, BOSTON, MS, NOV. 29-DEC 2. 2005, IN PRESS
Link	(PDF 250 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	R. Dones
Description	European PV systems Swiss LCA
Venue	December MRS
Source	Paul Scherer Institute
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	11/2005

Post Date	10/20/2005
Title	LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
Link	(PDF 144 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	V. Fthenakis
Description	Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) at BNL show that: i) The BOS of an optimized installation has an energy payback time (EPBT) of only 0.4 years for average US insolation, which is 70% lower than previously reported estimates. ii) The EPBT of CdTe modules produced and used in the U.S. is 0.85 years. iii) The life-cycle CO2 emissions of the nuclear fuel cycle in the U.S. are about the same as those in the PV cycle; this contrasts European studies showing CO2 emissions from nuclear to be 10 lower than those from PV.
Venue	Solar Program Review Meeting 2005
Source	Brookhaven National Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	10/2005

Post Date	10/20/2005
Title	A REVIEW OF RISKS IN THE SOLAR ELECTRIC LIFE-CYCLE
Link	(PDF 642 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	V. Fthenakis, H. C. Kim
Description	Early studies of risks in the life cycle of solar electric technologies do not represent their current stage of development. Our study updates the data used in previous studies and also accounts for the full life-cycle of photovoltaics. We show that the non-radiological risks of the solar electric- and nuclear-life cycles are approximately equal. This contradicts the conclusions of some earlier studies according to which the former presented much greater occupational and public non-radiological risks than the latter.
Venue	Brussels 2005
Source	Brookhaven National Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	10/2005

Post Date	06/13/2005
Title	THE REAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON PV MODULES: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON UP-TO-DATE MANUFACTURERS DATA
Link	(PDF 85 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	E. A. Alsema, M. J. De Wild-Scholten
Description	Together with a number of PV companies an extensive effort has been made to collect Life Cycle Inventory data that represents the current status of production technology for crystalline silicon modules. The new data covers all processes from silicon feedstock production to cell and module manufacturing. All commercial wafer technologies are covered, that is multi- and monocrystalline wafers as well as ribbon technology. The presented data should be representative for the technology status in 2004, although for monocrystalline Si crystallisation further improvement of the data quality is recommended. On the basis of the new data it is shown that PV systems on the basis of c-Si technology are in a good positionto compete with other energy technologies. Energy Pay-Back Times of 1.5-2.5 yr are found for South-European locations, while life-cycle CO2 emission is in the 25-40 g/kWh range. Clear perspectives exist for further improvements with roughly 25%.
Venue	20th European PVSC
Sources	Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands; Utrecht University
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	06/2005

Post Date	06/13/2005
Title	IMPLICATIONS OF EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
Link	(PDF 434 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	M. J. De Wild-Scholten, K. Wambach, E. A. Alsema, A. Jager-Waldau
Description	An overview is given of European environmental legislation which is effective now or proposed and which may have implications for the photovoltaic industry. The focus will be on legislation, which has been implemented already in national law, like the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment)- and ROHS Reach (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), F-gases (regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases) and EuP (eco-design requirements for energy-using products). A change of the module design, with the research, development, implementation and certification necessary to be able to produce photovoltaic systems that comply with such legislation, may be very time-consuming and expensive. Therefore a pro-active approach by the PV community is desirable. Environmental life cycle thinking and eco-design is becoming increasingly important as part of the European product and waste policy and will have its impact on the PV industry as well. Design-for-recycling must be encouraged to allow for an easy, cost-effective disassembly, with a high retrieval of for instance the precious crystalline silicon solar cells. A closed production cycle, i.e. guaranteed take back system, would probably prevent the commission as well as member states to impose legislative measures.
Venue	20th European PVSC Barcelona
Sources	Deutsche Solar; Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	06/2005

Post Date	06/29/2005
Title	NREL PAPERS FOR THE PVSC IN ORLANDO, 2005
Link	(MS Word 41 KB)
Author	N/A
Description	Links to about 20 papers in CIS, CdTe, a-Si, thin Si and reliability.
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	06/2005

Post Date	06/14/2005
Title	ENERGY AND LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF THIN FILM CDTE PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES
Link	(PDF 360 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	M. Raugei
Description	topic of this paper is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of modern CdTe PV modules. The analysis was performed within the framework of the European research project PVACCEPT, and is based on actual production data provided by the former project partner ANTEC Solar GmbH. This latter point makes the present LCA especially worthy of attention as a preliminary indication of the future environmental impact that the upscaling of CdTe module production may entail. The analysis is performed according to the recommendations of ISO norms 14040 and updates, and makes use of an original multi-criteria approach named SUMMA. The performance of the analysed CdTe system is also compared to other examples of advanced PV systems based on different technologies (CIS and mc-Si), which were also part of the PVACCEPT project. Results clearly show an overall very promising picture for CdTe technology, which is found to be characterised by favourable environmental impact indicators (e.g. 60g(abiotic matter)/kWh, 32 g(CO2-eq)/kWh and energy payback of 0.9 yrs.
Venue	20th EU PVSC Barcelona
Source	University of Siena
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	06/2005

Post Date	02/11/2005
Title	LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAICS: PERCEPTIONS, NEEDS, AND CHALLENGES
Link	(PDF 222 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	E. A. Alsema, M. J. De Wild-Scholten, V. Fthenakis
Description	High impact publications recently depicted PV technologies as having higher external environmental costs than those of nuclear energy and natural-gas-fueled power plants. These assessments are based on old data and unbalanced assumptions, and they illustrate the need for LCA data describing the continuously improving photovoltaic systems and the inclusion of social benefits in this comparison.
Venue	IEEE Photovoltaic Specialistis Conference, Jan. 3-7, 2005, Orlando, FL
Sources	Brookhaven National Laboratory; Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands; Utrecht University
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	01/2005

Post Date	02/15/2005
Title	ANALYTICAL RESULTS OF OUTPUT RESTRICTION DUE TO THE VOLTAGE INCREASING OF POWER DISTRIBUTION LINE IN GRID-CONNECTED CLUSTERED PV SYSTEMS
Link	(PDF 2.4 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	Y. Ueda, et al.
Description	Output restriction to prevent over voltage of power distribution line is one of the concerns for grid-connected clustered PV systems. To investigate the behavior of clustered PV systems, "Demonstrative research on clustered PV systems" has being conducted from December, 2002 in Gunma, Japan. More than 200 residential PV systems are already installed in demonstrative research area. Operation point of array output is estimated using minutely averages of collected data. The method to quantify loss due to output restriction is developed in this study.
Venue	IEEE PVSC
Source	Tokyo University
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	01/2005

Post Date	02/15/2005
Title	EARLY PERFORMANCE FOR THE ROOF-MOUNTED, 20-KW THIN FILM CDTE PV-ARRAY AT JASPER RIDGE
Link	(PDF 364 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	J. H. Scofield, et al.
Description	Here we report early performance for the grid-connected, 20-kW CdTe PV array installed on the roof of the Leslie Shao-ming Sun Field Station at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. The array was installed in May 2002. Data are reported for 20-mos beginning April 2003. The array originally consisted of 275, BP Solar 80W thin-film CdTe modules arranged in 11-module strings. The monitoring system logged data from 9 sensors on 1-min intervals. Monitoring showed problems with maximum power tracking associated with module degradation, ele-vated module temperatures, and the finite voltage window of the 208VAC-3p inverter. The problems were addressed in May 2004 by re-wiring the array and reprogramming the inverter, resulting in a 20% increase in energy production.
Venue	IEEE PVSC
Source	Oberlin College
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	01/2005

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	THE ROLE OF POLYCRYSTALLIN THIN-FILM PV TECHNOLOGIES FOR ACHIEVING MID-TERM MARKET-COMPETITIVE PV MODULES
Link	(MS Word 123 KB)
Authors	B. Von Roedern, K. Zweibel
Description	Using efficiency as the main parameter, projecting the cost competitiveness of thin films and x-Si. Current commercial status of CuInSe₂ alloys (collectively, CIS) and CdTe-based photovoltaic (PV) modules, comparing the performance of commercial products with the results achieved for solar cell and prototype module champions. We provide an update for these PV cell and module technologies, and also compare CIS and CdTe performance levels to the results achieved by the crystalline Si PV industry. This comparison shows that CIS and CdTe module technology presently offers the best (and perhaps only) approach for significantly exceeding the cost/performance levels established by crystalline Si PV technologies. A semi-empirical methodology is used for comparing "champion" solar cell and prototype module data with performance achieved on manufacturing lines. Using a conservative assumption that thin-film technologies will eliminate the 40% of PV module costs arising from the Si wafer or ribbon, we estimate the future performance of all established PV module candidates, and conclude that, based on 2004 knowledge about each PV technology, CIS and CdTe should provide cost-competitive advantages over crystalline Si.
Venue	IEEE PV Specialists Conference, 2004
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	01/2005

Post Date	02/04/2005
Title	STUDY OF POTENTIAL COST REDUCTIONS RESULTING FROM SUPER-LARGE-SCALE MANUFACTURING OF PV MODULES
Link	(MS Word 112 KB)
Authors	R. Arya, M. Keshner
Description	Short version of multi-GW production report
Venue	NREL Solar Review
Source	Hewlett Packard
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	10/2004

Post Date	02/04/2005
Title	POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES: PROGRESS AND TECHNICAL ISSUES
Link	(MS Word 1.5 MB)
Author	H. S. Ullal
Description	Polycrystalline thin-film materials based on copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2, CIS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are promising thin-film solar cells for various power and specialty applications. Impressive results have been obtained in the past few years for both thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells and thin-film CdTe solar cells. NCPV/NREL scientists have achieved world-record, total-area efficiencies of 19.3% for a thin-film CIGS solar cell and 16.5% for thin-film CdTe solar cell. A number of technical R&D issues related to CIS and CdTe have been identified. Thin-film power module efficiencies up to 13.4% has been achieved thus far. Tremendous progress has been made in the technology development for module fabrication, and multi-megawatt manufacturing facilities are coming on line with expansion plans in the next few years. Several 40-480 kW polycrystalline thin-film, grid-connected PV arrays have been deployed worldwide. Hot and humid testing is also under way to validate the long-term reliability of these emerging thin-film power products. The U.S. thin-film production (amorphous silicon [a-Si], CIS, CdTe) is expected to exceed 50 MW by the end of 2005.
Venue	PVSEC
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Word document)
Resource Date	2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	TECHNOLOGY AND MARKET CHALLENGES TO MAINSTREAM THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES AND APPLICATIONS
Link	(PDF 276 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	R. Arya
Description	Technology and manufacturing advances over the past 25 years has led to widespread commercial use of thin film modules in many consumer applications. The three leading thin film solar module technologies are - amorphous silicon alloys (a-Si), copper indium diselenide alloys (CIGS), and cadmium telluride CdTe). These three technologies have demonstrated solar cells with efficiencies ~13% (a-Si), ~19% (CIGS), and ~16.5% (CdTe) respectively. Large area power modules are in various stages of initial production with these technologies and the module performance is in the 6%-11% range. Several manufacturing plants are in operation with plant capacities ranging from 3 MW to 30 MW. These plants are continuously increasing production with the present annual production of 1 MW to 5 MW. Technical challenges lie ahead in improving the module performance by reducing the gap between R&D cells and manufactured products so that they can successfully compete with crystalline silicon modules. Reliability of thin film modules in systems has been demonstrated with all three technologies with a fair degree of success. Several 1-480 kW grid-connected thin film module arrays are in deployment worldwide. Thin film modules are finding increasing acceptance for BIPV applications like roofs, facades, awnings etc. used in residential and commercial buildings. The cost of modules and market acceptance with new technologies still remains a major challenge to successful penetration of mainstream photovoltaic markets.
Venue
Source	N/A
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGIES: PROGRESS AND TECHNICAL ISSUES
Link	(PDF 370 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	H. S. Ullal
Description	Polycrystalline thin-film materials based on copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2, CIS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are promising thin-film solar cells for various power and specialty applications. Impressive results have been obtained in the past few years for both thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells and thin-film CdTe solar cells. NCPV/NREL scientists have achieved world-record, total-area efficiencies of 19.3% for a thin-film CIGS solar cell and 16.5% for thin-film CdTe solar cell. A number of technical R&D issues related to CIS and CdTe have been identified. Thin-film power module efficiencies up to 13.4% has been achieved thus far. Tremendous progress has been made in the technology development for module fabrication, and multi-megawatt manufacturing facilities are coming on line with expansion plans in the next few years. Several 40-480 kW polycrystalline thin-film, grid-connected PV arrays have been deployed worldwide. Hot and humid testing is also under way to validate the long-term reliability of these emerging thin-film power products. The U.S. thin-film production (amorphous silicon [a-Si], CIS, CdTe) is expected to exceed 50 MW by the end of 2005.
Venue	PVSEC 19
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2004

Post Date	02/02/2005
Title	COMPARISON OF ENERGY PRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE FROM FLAT-PLATE PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE TECHNOLOGIES DEPLOYED AT FIXED TILT
Link	(PDF 206 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	J. A. del Cueto
Description	energy rating by technology
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PROGRESS IN U.S. PHOTOVOLTAICS: LOOKING BACK 30 YEARS AND LOOKING AHEAD 20
Link	(PDF 310 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	T. Surek
Description	Technology and learning curve analysis of R&D.
Venue	Osaka IEEE
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PRACTICAL DOPING PRINCIPLES
Link	(PDF 270 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	A. Zunger
Description	Doping compound semiconductors.
Venue	NREL DOE Solar Program Review Meeting 2003
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PV SOLAR ELECTRICITY: ONE AMONG THE NEW MILLENNIUM INDUSTRIES
Link	(PDF 6.0 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	W. Hoffmann
Description	ABSTRACT: During recent years, solar electricity generation based on photovoltaics has developed into an industry at annual growth rates above 20%. Major market segments served by this industry comprise consumer applications, remote industrial systems, developing countries, and grid-connected systems. The potential in these markets supports sustained future growth, particularly for applications in developing countries and gridconnected systems in the industrial countries, where PV-generated electricity eventually will start to compete with peak grid power. Backed by price experience curves and a laboratory proven technology road map, a module turnover representing 100 billion worlwide can be extrapolated. A sustainable energy contribution to the worldwide energy mix in subsequent decades is foreseen as a result of competitive PV solar electricity applications. Keywords: PV Market Growth ? 1: Strategy ? 2: Cost Reduction ? 3
Venue	17th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Munich, Germany, 22-26 October 2001
Source	RWE Schott
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	10/2001

Post Date	02/11/2005
Title	HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THIN FILM MANUFACTURING
Link	(PDF 50 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	E. A. Alsema, et al.
Description	An investigation is made of Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) aspects for the manufacturing, use and decommissioning of CdTe, CIS and a-Si modules. Issues regarding energy requirements, resource availability, emissions of toxic materials, occupational health and safety and module waste treatment are reviewed. Waste streams in thin film module manufacturing are analyzed in detail and treatment methods are discussed. Finally the technological options for thin film module recycling are investigated. It is concluded that there are no serious HSE bottlenecks for upscaling to production levels of 500 MWp/yr and that adequate methods are available for treatment of the manufacturing wastes. However, on the longer term issues regarding CdTe and CIS module waste treatment, In and Te resource availibility and module recycling need to adressed. Appropriate recycling methods for CdTe and CIS modules do not exist at present but the problem is being adressed by the PV industry.
Venue
Source	Utrecht University
Document Type	Conference Papers (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2000

Presentations

Post Date	04/30/2007
Title	SI THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS PROGRAM IN THE U.S.
Link	(PDF 1.5 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	B. Von Roedern
Description	Presentation Outline: (1) History of U.S. a-Si (film-Si) program (2) Results of activities (3) Competing PV Technologies (4) Outlook
Venue	presented at International Workshop upon Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells, Nara, Japan, 2/28 - 3/2/2007
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	02/2007

Post Date	02/24/2006
Title	THIN FILMS AS OF 2/2006
Link	(PowerPoint 204 KB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Sales, costs, predictions, comaprative efficiency and cost curves
Venue	Powerpoint presentation
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	02/2006

Post Date	11/11/2005
Title	THIN FILM PV PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 2005
Link	(PowerPoint 10.8 MB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Overview of the purpose, strategies, and goals of the Thin Film Partnership Program, including updated module, BOS, and system cost projections for 2005 and 2020.
Venue	2005 DOE Solar Review
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	11/10/2005

Post Date	09/30/2005
Title	VEHICLE TO GRID POWER
Link	(PowerPoint 3.0 MB)
Author	W. Kempton
Description	Using electric and hybrid electric vehicles to store and regulate grid electricity can solve two key problems at once: finding non CO2 transportation fuels (renewables and clean coal from the electric grid) and handling the natural fluctuations of renewable sources like PV and wind.
Venue	Analysis Seminar NREL Washington DC, 9/28/2005
Source	University of Delaware
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	09/28/2005

Post Date	09/02/2005
Title	PV PAST THE TIPPING POINT
Link	(PowerPoint 31.8 MB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Photovoltaics is growing rapidly, coming down in cost, and technical progress is substantial. We can be assured that PV costs will come down enough to provide electricity at an energy signifiant level.
Venue	Presntation at NREL to Norwegian StudyTour sponsored by CSM August 31, 2005
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	08/31/2005

Post Date	07/28/2005
Title	2002 TO 2005 THIN FILM PARTNERSHIP BUDGET TRENDS
Link	(PowerPoint 38 KB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Budget in thin films for subcontracts is down 36% since 2002.
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	07/2005

Post Date	07/20/2005
Title	HOLE DRIFT & MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELLS
Link	(PDF 348 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	T. Dylla, F. Finger, E. A. Schiff
Description	The physics of hole drift in solar-grade nc-Si:H is consistent with valence bandtail trapping. ?Band mobility about the same as a-Si:H ?Bandtail width somewhat narrower (30 meV vs. 40 meV) ?Attempt frequency much lower (10^9 s-1) Amorphous silicon solar cells are low-mobility type (slow carrier mu<< 1 cm2/Vs). Microcrystalline silicon solar cells are near the crossover between low & high mobility types (slow carrier mu about 1 cm2/Vs)
Venue	19th a-Si national team meeting, NREL, 5/19+20/2005
Sources	Forschungszentrum Juelich; Syracuse University
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/20/2005

Post Date	06/01/2005
Title	PV STRATEGY PRESENTATION
Link	(PowerPoint 21.6 MB)
Author	S. Guha
Description	amorphous silicon, triple junctions, UniSolar, roofing material, peel-and-stick
Venue	Thin Film Partnership a-Si National R&D Team meeting
Source	Uni-Solar Ovonic
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	05/2005

Post Date	03/18/2005
Title	ENERGY DEPENDENCE AND CO2
Link	(PowerPoint 2.3 MB)
Authors	J. A. Momoh, P. W. Werbos
Description	alternative energy strategies and issues for climate change
Venue	Congressional presentation
Source	NSF
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	03/2005

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	THE FY 2006 EERE BUDGET REQUEST
Link	(PDF 546 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	D. Garman
Description	Garman presentation of budget request highlights.
Venue
Source	US DOE
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	02/2005

Post Date	02/02/2005
Title	CRUDE OIL, CLIMATE CHANGE, COAL, CANE AND CARS
Link	(PDF 778 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	R. Williams
Description	Using biomass to offset coal burning by gaining a negative carbon advantage through sequestration
Venue	Colorado School of Mines
Source	Princeton
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	11/15/2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	THIN FILMS AND THE SYSTEM DRIVEN APPROACH
Link	(PowerPoint 1.0 MB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Cost analysis of thin films for semiconductor, encapusulation, layer thickness, and efficiency.
Venue	DOE and NREL Solar Review Meeting 2004
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	10/2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	2ND GENERATION THIN FILMS
Link	(PowerPoint 8.9 MB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Potential of CIS, CdTe, and a-Si thin films.
Venue	Rice University Solar Energy Workshop
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	09/2004

Post Date	05/24/2005
Title	PV GRID CONNECTED MARKET POTENTIAL UNDER A COST BREAKTHROUGH SCENARIO
Link	navigantLinkmarketstudy2004
Authors	M. Chaudhari, et al.
Description	1 � Introduction 2 � Executive Summary 3 � Market Potential for Grid Connected PV 4 � Market Barriers 5 � Attractive States for PV 6 � Appendix Table of Contents
Venue	EF-Final-Sept 2004-117373
Source	Navigant Consulting
Document Type	Presentation (Hypertext link)
Resource Date	09/2004

Post Date	02/04/2005
Title	CAN RENEWABLE ENERGY SLOW GLOBAL WARMING?
Link	(PDF 3.4 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	M. Hoffert
Description	Climate change issues and energy choices.
Venue	World Renewable Energy Congress VIII and Expo
Source	New York University
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	08/31/2004

Post Date	02/02/2005
Title	SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: CAN WE GET THERE?
Link	(PowerPoint 2.0 MB)
Author	M. Hoffert
Description	Climate change options
Venue	Rocky mountain natural gas strategy conference, Denver
Source	New York University
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	08/09/2004

Post Date	02/02/2005
Title	COAL AND RENEWABLES IN AN EXTERNALITY-CONSTRAINED ENERGY ECONOMY: COMPETITIVE AND COOPERATIVE STRATEGIES
Link	(PDF 596 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	R. Williams
Description	Climate change options
Venue	Viewgraphs for Presentation NREL 20 July 2004
Source	Princeton
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	07/20/2004

Post Date	04/22/2005
Title	UNISOLAR MODULES
Link	(PDF 2.4 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	D. E. Parker
Description	Flexible a-Si modules used for various applications
Venue	Thin Film Module Reliability National Team meeting
Source	Uni-Solar Ovonic
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	06/23/2004

Post Date	04/22/2005
Title	PAST AND PREDICTED THIN FILM MODULE PRODUCTION IN THE US BY TECHNOLOGY
Link	(PowerPoint 45 KB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Annual MWp/yr 2000-2011 by technology
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	04/22/2004

Post Date	02/11/2005
Title	PV MODULE RECYCLING IN THE US
Link	(PowerPoint 3.8 MB)
Authors	V. Fthenakis, K. Zweibel
Description	Recycling today and tomorrow.
Venue	EU Workshop "Waste Challenge"
Sources	Brookhaven National Laboratory; National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	03/2004

Post Date	02/11/2005
Title	PV MODULE RECYCLING IN THE US
Link	(PDF 600 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Authors	V. Fthenakis, K. Zweibel
Description	Recycling today and tomorrow
Venue	EIA Workshop
Source	N/A
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	03/2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PV AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF GLOBAL ELECTRICITY
Link	(PowerPoint 13.2 MB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Projected improvements needs to make PV a major source of electricity.
Venue	University of Toledo
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	02/24/2004

Post Date	02/17/2005
Title	A COMPARISON OF THIN FILMS AND X-SI IN THE US MARKET, HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED
Link	(MS Word 31 KB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Thin films are gaining ground on x-Si and are projected to overtake it in the US about 2010-2011.
Venue	Thin Film Partnership and Paul Maycock's PV News February 2005
Source	PV News
Document Type	Presentation (Word document)
Resource Date	02/17/2004

Post Date	02/01/2005
Title	EXPERIENCE CURVES AS POLICY TOOL: THE CASE OF PV
Link	(PDF 219 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	G. J. Schaeffer
Description	European study using a learning curve method for modules and BOS components, projecting policy priorities to achieve low cost in a more timely manner.
Venue	ECN Policy Studies, EU-Photex project Contributions by Project Partners: GENEC (F), FhG-ISE (D), ISET (D), UU-STS (NL), CESI (I), ECN Solar Energy (NL) EXCETP-EXTOOL workshop "Experience Curves: A Tool for Energy Policy Analysis and Design" Paris, 23 January 2003
Source	EU-Photex project
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	01/23/2004

Post Date	02/02/2005
Title	THE ROLE OF PV IN OUR ENERGY FUTURE
Link	(PowerPoint 2.5 MB)
Author	T. Berniard
Description
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	2004

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PV MARKETS 2003
Link	(PowerPoint 909 KB)
Author	P. Maycock
Description	Sales and cumulatice production through 2003
Venue
Source	PV News
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	09/2003

Post Date	01/21/2005
Title	IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE ON-LINE CLOSED-LOOP DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM FOR ROLL-TO-ROLL AMORPHOUS SILICON SOLAR CELL PRODUCTION
Link	(PDF 6.1 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	T. Ellison
Description	Development and implementation of in situ monitoring on in-line stainless steel a-Si processing line
Venue	ECD and United Solar PV Manufacturing R&D Program Annual Review 2003
Source	Energy Conversion Devices
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	08/28/2003

Post Date	02/04/2005
Title	PV TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE CURVES AND MARKETS
Link	(PowerPoint 190 KB)
Author	R. M. Margolis
Description
Venue	NCPV and Solar Review Meeting
Source	Carnegie Mellon University
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	03/24/2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	POWERLIGHT
Link	(PDF 1.8 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	N/A
Description	Powerlight PV and company.
Venue
Source	Powerlight
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PROGRESS IN US PV
Link	(PowerPoint 1.5 MB)
Author	T. Surek
Description	50 years of progress in PV.
Venue	Osaka IEEE conference
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	2003

Post Date	02/07/2005
Title	PV - THE VALUE CONNECTION
Link	(PowerPoint 5.7 MB)
Author	C. Herig
Description	The positive value of using PV instead of other sources of energy.
Venue
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Presentation (Powerpoint presentation)
Resource Date	05/10/2001

Post Date	02/04/2005
Title	NUCLEAR AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLY OPTIONS FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSTRAINED WORLD
Link	(PDF 212 KB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	R. Williams
Description
Venue	Nuclear Control Institute's 20th Anniversary Conference
Source	Princeton
Document Type	Presentation (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	04/09/2001

Annual/Final Reports

Post Date	06/02/2006
Title	DOE SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FY2005 ANNUAL REPORT
Link	(PDF 5.2 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	N/A
Description	The majority of the Program?s budget is allocated to PV research and development (R&D). All PV devices convert sunlight directly into electricity. However, there is a variety of materials and processes for creating PV devices, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. The major trade-off is between cost and sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency?higher efficiency typically translates into higher cost. Program participants consistently achieve world-record efficiencies for different types of PV, but each effort has the same ultimate goal: optimizing cost and efficiency to produce the least expensive end-use electricity.
Venue	DOE/GO-102006-2314May 2006
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Annual Report (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	05/2006

Post Date	04/10/2006
Title	FULFILLING THE PROMISE OF THIN FILM PV
Link	(PDF 5.5 MB) Download Acrobat Reader.
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	The Thin Film PV Partnership spearheads R&D on emerging thin film PV technologies. Led by the National Center for Photovoltaics and NREL, the Partnership leverages the combined efforts of the thin film PV industry, universities, and government research institutes.
Venue	Brochure excerpt
Source	National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Document Type	Annual Report (Adobe Postscript file)
Resource Date	04/2006

Post Date	02/01/2006
Title	THIN FILM PV PARTNERSHIP
Link	(MS Word 393 KB)
Author	K. Zweibel
Description	Objectives Support the near-term transition to first-time manufacturing and commercial introduction of reliable thin-film a-Si, CIS, CdTe, and film silicon modules. Build a technology base upon which these advanced PV technologies can successfully improve manufacturing and continue to progress in terms of performance, reliability, and reduced cost for products meant to compete in the PV marketplace. Sustain innovation to support progress toward ambitious long-term PV cost and performance goals (e.g., 15% modules at under $50/m2 and capable of lasting 30 years) appropriate for cost-competitive PV electricity. Accomplishments Four JOULE milestones were met. Two Technology Partners broke ground on major manufacturing expansions (First Solar 50 MWp, and Uni-Solar 25 MWp). Production of thin films in the United States grew from 12 MWp in 2003 to an estimated >40 MWp in 20