Black Silicon Increases Solar Panel Efficiency
Solar Panel Manufacturers explore new methods for higher efficiency
SANYO Celebrates Grand Opening of New Monterrey Solar Module Assembly Manufacturing Plant
SunPower Solar Panels Achieve over 19% Efficiency
Innovalight Silicon Inks Boost Solar Cell Efficiency to Record-Breaking 19%
Solar Panels that are Just Over a Dollar now available
Applied Materials Acquires Advent Solar - Hopes to Cut Solar Panel Production Cost Below $
One-Step Process for Photovoltaic Cell Production Could Make Solar Competitive
Germany Develops Highest Efficiency Thin-Film Solar Cells
Solarmer Energy, Inc. Continues to Break World Records with 7.6% Efficient Plastic Solar C
Kyocera Achieves World Record Solar Module Efficiency
New Technology Could Triple Efficiency of Solar Panels
GE to Produce Thin-Film Solar Panels
HHV Solar - The World's Highest Energy Producing Solar Panel
SolOptics Design Yields Up to 12.5% Increase in PV Panel Efficiency
Solar Panels to be Produced Below 70 Cents a Watt
Oerlikon Reduces Amorphous Silicon Solar Panels Production Cost to Under 70 Cents per Watt presenting competition to others in industry
In the race to make solar energy cost-effective, producing solar panels for less than a dollar per watt is old hat these days. Industry leader First Solar crossed that threshold in 2009, and is producing its cadmium telluride thin-film solar panels today at a per watt cost of 76 cents.
Now First Solar is facing competition from equipment manufacturer Oerlikon, which announced last week that it can enable solar manufacturers to produce its amorphous silicon solar panels at a cost under 70 cents per watt. While the company has achieved the cost structure in a controlled environment, some assumptions are at play. Customer ability to integrate Oerlikon’s new line of solar panels and achieve the cost targets in 2011 is theoretically possible but yet to be achieved in practice.
First Solar is already achieving its target solar panel manufacturing cost of 76 cents per watt, and at the present time can claim a solid place as the best manufacturer of solar panels, in regards to cost and efficiency. The Oerlikon announcement, however, may herald a resurgence of the amorphous silicon solar panels technology, which has been held back by the loss of several companies who have either gone out of business, or like Applied Materials earlier this year, abandoned the amorphous silicon business.
Oerlikon has differentiated itself with continual improvements to its fab line over the past several years, including higher efficiency tandem-junction cells, thinner layers of silicon, more highly reflective backsheets, and other techniques that have reduced material needs. The bottom line is a 25% reduction in capital expenditures for its customers.
Oerlikon’s latest tandem-junction micromorph cell is 11.9 percent efficient in the laboratory environment and results have been verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The progress made by Oerlikon draws attention to the continued lowering of costs in the production of solar panels, which promises good news for consumers and businesses who want to go green with their energy production.
Recommended for Further Reading:
- Black Silicon Increases Solar Panel Efficiency
- Solar Panel Manufacturers explore new methods for higher efficiency
- SANYO Celebrates Grand Opening of New Monterrey Solar Module Assembly Manufacturing Plant
- SunPower Solar Panels Achieve over 19% Efficiency
- Innovalight Silicon Inks Boost Solar Cell Efficiency to Record-Breaking 19%
- Solar Panels that are Just Over a Dollar now available
- Applied Materials Acquires Advent Solar - Hopes to Cut Solar Panel Production Cost Below $
- One-Step Process for Photovoltaic Cell Production Could Make Solar Competitive
- Germany Develops Highest Efficiency Thin-Film Solar Cells
- Solarmer Energy, Inc. Continues to Break World Records with 7.6% Efficient Plastic Solar C
- Kyocera Achieves World Record Solar Module Efficiency
- New Technology Could Triple Efficiency of Solar Panels
- GE to Produce Thin-Film Solar Panels
- HHV Solar - The World's Highest Energy Producing Solar Panel
- SolOptics Design Yields Up to 12.5% Increase in PV Panel Efficiency
[...] Solar Panels to be Produced Below 70 Cents a Watt [...]
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RT @buildaroo: New tech brings #Solar Panel Production below 70 cents a watt http://bit.ly/cffzvP #energy #renewableenergy #alternativee ...
RT @buildaroo: New tech brings #Solar Panel Production below 70cents/watt http://bit.ly/cffzvP #energy #eco
Solar Panel Production Now Below 70 Cents a Watt: Oerlikon Reduces Amorphous Silicon Solar Panel Production Cost t... http://bit.ly/aIv2WG