Technology >> Thin Film
| Thin film technology is a great choice for applications with a large amount of space and ample sunshine. Typically thin film is used by large corporations and utility scale solar installations. Thin film solar technology currently makes up 7% of the solar power market share. The high cost of crystalline silicon wafers (they make up 40-50% of the cost of a finished module) has led the industry to look at cheaper materials to make solar cells. Amorphous silicon is the best developed of the thin film technologies. In its simplest form, the cell structure has a single sequence of p-i-n layers.
The emerging thin film technologies are starting to make significant in-roads in to grid connect markets, particularly in Germany, but crystalline technologies still dominate the market. Thin films have long held a niche position in low power (<50W) and consumer electronics applications, and may offer particular design options for building integrated applications. REFERENCES: |
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