Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.2 Thin-film solar cell manufacturers
(http://Wpww.greentechmedia.com/articles/
read/Thin-FIlm-Solar-Startup-Solexant-and-its-
New-CEO/) in rank of production, in MW, in
2010. First Solar, the leader in thin-film solar cell
production, makes CdTe cells. Sharp produces
amorphous silicon cells, as do United Solar and
Kaneka. Solar Frontier and Solyndra (bankrupt
in Sept. 2011) and Avancis (not shown) produce
CIGS cells. CdTe cells made by First Solar
completely dominate the thin-film solar cell
market at present.
Even so, it is reported [124] that the U.S. solar industry employs more people than
either the coal or steel industries.
Another general learning approach is to use a wider foil or glass along the
production line, because the expense of manufacturing equipment increases less
than linearly (http://en.wikipedia.org/Wpiki/Cadmium_telluride_photovoltaics) as
the width increases!
10.3
Thin-Film Cells, Nanoinks for Printing Solar Cells
The thin-film cells rationally seem to offer the best chance for matching the market
prices in the large electric power market when the rising price of fossil fuels, or their
adverse effects, curtail the conventional coal- and gas-fired power plants. A summary
of the production of thin-film solar cells in 2010 is shown in Figure 10.2.
A range of fabrication methods are represented here. It appears that First Solar,
which was reported to make CdTe modules at a cost of $0.76/Wp, uses a closed
space sublimation method, starting from bulk CdTe. It is reported that their
