III-Vs at Scale: A PV Manufacturing Cost Analysis of the Thin Film Vapor-Liquid-Solid Growth Mode
The authors present a manufacturing cost analysis for producing thin-film indium phosphide modules by combining a novel thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) growth process with a standard monolithic module platform. The example cell structure is ITO/n-TiO2/p-InP/Mo. For a benchmark scenario of 12% efficient modules, the module cost is estimated to be $0.66/W(DC) and the module cost is calculated to be around $0.36/W(DC) at a long-term potential efficiency of 24%. The manufacturing cost for the TF-VLS growth portion is estimated to be ~$23/m2, a significant reduction compared with traditional metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The analysis here suggests the TF-VLS growth mode could enable lower-cost, high-efficiency III-V photovoltaics compared with manufacturing methods used today and open up possibilities for other optoelectronic applications as well.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; Bay Area PV Consortium
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1249401
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-6A20-63271
- Journal Information:
- Progress in Photovoltaics, Vol. 24, Issue 6; Related Information: Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications; ISSN 1062-7995
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Increased Optoelectronic Quality and Uniformity of Hydrogenated p-InP Thin Films
Thin films of InP for photovoltaic energy conversion. First quarterly technical progress report, July 5, 1979-September 28, 1979