Overview:

Product Description:

Thin-film solar technology is considered to be a highly cost and materials efficient alternative to crystalline silicon technologies. Although thin-film efficiencies are generally lower, reductions in the amount of expensive silicon used in the cells requires a much shorter energy payback period.  Manufacturing these cells can be streamlined by using ink-jet printer-like machines to deposit the silicon (or other PV material) onto the substrate in layers that may only be as thick as a molecule or two. This process is known as ‘roll-to-roll’ or ‘web’ processing.  These innovations help to further reduce the cost of the PV modules.

Thin-film Technologies covered in this Technical Guide:

• Amorphous Silicon
• Copper Indium Diselenide
• Cadmium Telluride
• Gallium Arsenide
• Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin Layer
• Dye Solar Cell

Although this Technical Guide does not cover every type of thin-film technology available, it attempts to cover the predominant technologies and any that are being developed in Australia or by Australian companies.

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