Thin Film Solar Technologies

By Paulo Nery

The solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is clearly in a rapid growth phase. The worldwide industry size was recently estimated at $50 billion. Over the past few years, production capacity is thought to have grown at an average of 48% each year and cumulative global production is now at 12.4 Giga Watts (GW). It is also an industry on the brink of change. New technologies are emerging that seem certain have an impact on the entire shape of the PV industry.

Since they were first developed in the 50’s there have been no major changes to the basic crystalline silicon solar cell. But significant improvements are now taking place with several competing innovations vying for position. Crystalline silicon cells, which come in mono and poly crystalline forms, are now being referred to as “first generation” PV. These mature technologies have experienced dramatic growth in volumes. But with shortages of silicon and high prices affecting finished costs, the volumes are dropping. If silicon prices drop further we could yet see more competitive prices for these solar PV modules. But there’s only so much that prices can drop with that technology.

Second generation PV, or thin film technology, holds out the real promise of more price competitive systems because they can be manufactured with dramatically less material, shorter supply chains and cheaper, faster processes. Thin film is still a nascent industry and competition between players is much more about intellectual property and access to capital than the manufacturing efficiencies that drive the first generation PV makers. So there are lower prices from improved efficiency to be anticipated still.

Solar Stocks: First Solar, Inc.(NasdaqGS: FSLR),Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.( United Solar Ovonics) (NasdaqGS: ENER) , XsunX, (OTCBB:XSNX), SolarWorld (SRWRF.PK), Sanyo Electric (SANYY.PK)

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Labels: ENER, Energy Conversion Devices Inc, First Solar Inc, FSLR, News, SolarWorld, Thin film solar cells

posted by Ertai at 10:49 PM