The rapid expansion of photovoltaic manufacturing capacity has brought significant developments in technological capabilities, most notably the development of thin film photovoltaics (PV). Historically, PV cells are made using silicon wafers (known as crystalline silicon technology), but in thin film technology, the cells are formed by growing the active layers on lower cost substrates. This has opened up the prospect of increasing the manufacturing scale thanks to more simplified process steps.
While the mass production of thin film silicon PV modules may still be in its infancy, progress has been rapid. In 2008 early manufacturing adopters were achieving around $1.50 cost per watt, while $0.70 is predicted for 2011. Over the same period, manufacturing throughput is predicted to double, while materials costs will fall by around 50 percent. All these factors are critical in the drive towards grid parity and widespread adoption of thin film PV.
Although fewer than 25 different gases and chemicals are used in solar cell manufacturing, compared with more than double that amount for semiconductors, the volumes required are significantly greater and supply chain management presents unique challenges. Among the direct materials for thin film silicon in particular, glass and gases together can account for over 40 percent of the cost of solar module production. Therefore, while a 100 MW facility requires significant investment in infrastructure to ensure continuity of material supply, a 1 GW facility requires the entire output of an industrial scale production facility for several of the principal materials.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
