Download Solar Technology Innovation Cycles

Solar Technology Innovation Cycles
 Specific challenge
PV technologies are expected to continue to advance, in terms of cell
efficiency/m2, material volume, and resulting material costs. As installed
production volume increases it may become increasingly difficult to convert
existing manufacturing capability over to the latest PV technology.
 Idea for Meeting the Challenge
Manufacturing system design based upon technology forecasting
 Approach
Identify/forecast major PV technology trends, use technology roadmap to guide
design of manufacturing systems – optimize flexibility and modularity to
maximize forecasted manufacturing equipment life-cycle
 What is the Manufacturing Challenge
Obsolescence of manufacturing cells due to rapid changes in PV technology.
Reliability of Large Scale Solar Applications
 Specific challenge
Interconnects are a major cause of PV module failures. As installation sizes
increase, the number of interconnects increases reducing installation reliability
 Idea for Meeting the Challenge
Increased cell (and module) unit sizes can reduce the number of interconnects
per m2 in an installation, potentially improving reliability and reducing module
assembly cost
 Approach
Thin film PV on rolled substrate lends itself to large cell sizes, however today
there are manufacturing limitations
 What is the Manufacturing Challenge
- Production quality (defects/m2) limits the practical size of single cells
- Current thin film production technologies on rolled substrate limit the practical
width
Thin Film III-V Materials for Solar Cells
 Specific challenge
Develop materials that support not only high efficiency photovoltaics, but also
high rate manufacturing in support of emerging concentrator solar energy
demand.
 Idea for Meeting the Challenge
Thin Film III-V devices
 Approach
Develop the ability to produce the most efficient photovoltaics device materials
and devices (i.e., multi-junction III-Vs) within a roll-to-roll system.
 What is the Manufacturing Challenge
The production device-quality III-V materials, normally produced via
organomettalic vapor phase epitaxy on expensive and fragile single crystal
substrates, in a thin-film format.