Thin film photovoltaics
Thin films are considered a potentially attractive technological approach to making cost-effective electricity by photovoltaics. Over the last twenty years, many have been investigated and some (cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide, amorphous silicon) have become leading candidates for future large-scale commercialization. This paper surveys the past development of these key thin films and gives their status and future prospects. In all cases, significant progress toward cost-effective PV electricity has been made. If this progress continues, it appears that thin film PV could provide electricity that is competitive for summer daytime peaking power requirements by the middle of the 1990s; and electricity in a range that is competitive with fossil fuel costs (i.e., 6 cents/kilowatt-hour) should be available from PV around the turn of the century. 22 refs., 9 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 6123960
- Report Number(s):
- SERI/TP-211-3501; CONF-890815-4; ON: DE89009425
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 24. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Washington, DC, USA, 7-12 Aug 1989; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
THIN FILMS
AMORPHOUS STATE
CADMIUM SULFIDES
CADMIUM TELLURIDES
COPPER SELENIDES
COPPER SULFIDES
COST
ELECTRIC POWER
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GLASS
INDIUM SELENIDES
MOLYBDENUM
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON
ZINC OXIDES
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELEMENTS
FILMS
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
MATERIALS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
POWER
SELENIDES
SELENIUM COMPOUNDS
SEMIMETALS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TELLURIDES
TELLURIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ZINC COMPOUNDS
SOLAR ENERGY
PHOTOVOLTAICS
HISTORICAL SURVEY
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion