by: Kriss Bergethon
Solar energy and 'going green' are getting a lot of attention these days. Many
people are talking about thin film solar cells, also called solar film. This
article will give you a rundown on the various technologies out there, without
getting too deep into the chemistry and physics of how they work.
Solar film cells are getting a lot of attention because they address the biggest
issue with solar energy: cost. The development of this technology has take great
strides in recent years because they are cheaper to manufacture than traditional
solar panels. Thin film solar panels are what you would find in a solar
calculator, and this technology is being expanded into panels for large
residential and commercial use. Global Solar Energy, for example, recently
installed a 750 kilowatt array that provides 25% of factory's power needs.
There several technologies that exist that fall under the solar film heading:
1. Amorphous or Thin Film Silicon. This technology uses the same science that is
found in the rectangular solar panels we are seeing more and more of in the
world. Instead of using hard crystalline silicon that must be encased in
tempered glass and aluminum frames like normal solar panels, the silicon is
deposited on a flexible piece of metal or plastic and then coated. This
technology is generally less efficient, but much cheaper to make. To produce the
same amount of energy as a traditional solar panel, you would need 30-50% more
surface area of thin film silicon solar.
2. Cadmium Telluride. This technology is less popular than thin film silicon for
several reasons. While it is more cost-effective to manufacture, it is less
efficient than silicon. Additionally, the materials in these cells tend to be
toxic, leading to concerns about the manufacturing process and the long term
environmental effects of the cells. Studies are being done as we speak to
investigate the long term toxicity of cadmium telluride since the economics of
the technology are very attractive. Typical efficiencies for these cells are
around 15%. This means that 15% of the total energy that fell on the cell was
converted to electricity.
3. CIGS. CIGS is an acronym for'copper indium gallium (di)selenide' (see why we
call it CIGS?). CIGS cells have the most promise for bringing down the cost of
solar since the economics AND efficiencies are very promising. In 2005, the
National REnewable Energy Lab achieved a world record 19.9% efficiency for a
CIGS cell. This means that 19.9% of the total energy that fell on the cell was
converted to electricity. This is approaching the world record for a common
solar panel of 24.7%. This very exciting because manufacturers anticipate the
cost of mass-produced thin film cells to be around $1.00/watt. Common silicon
solar panels we are used to seeing are close to $5.00/watt. Companies such as
Shell, Nanosolar, and Honda are investing heavily in this technology. Nanosolar
is particularly interesting in that is has the backing of Silicon Valley venture
capital and the Google founders. They are in the process of building a massive
manufacturing facility and claim that they will produce solar cells at 1/10th
the cost of current cells. Very exciting.
About The Author
Kriss Bergethon is a writer and solar expert from Colorado.
Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/environment_and_going_green/article_250.shtml
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