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Arizona is now home to the world’s largest solar array using Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. The 750-kilowatt (kW) system, located at Global Solar’s manufacturing facility in Tuscon, is the first commercial-scale deployment of the company’s CIGS technology. Read More
Germany is again making news in the solar field with the announcement of the industry’s first ever Gen 8.5 (5.7 meter square) silicon thin film solar PV module at Signet Solar’s new factory near Dresden. The accomplishment at the company's 200,000 square foot production facility and is another step towards lowering the cost of renewable solar energy through thin film technology. Read More
May 15, 2008 Advancing a viable market for photovoltaic solar energy involves a balancing act between creating efficient solar cells and at the same time reducing the cost of the manufacturing process. Solar efficiency has been demonstrated to levels as high as 22% (a record set by SANYO last year), and although HelioVolt Corporation's latest announcements concern technology that is only delivering 12.2% conversion, the company has made great strides on the other side of the equation. Its proprietary FASST reactive transfer printing process has produced solar cells in a record setting six minutes, according to HelioVolt that's 10 to 100 times faster than current production of thin-film photovoltaics and could lead to manufacturing costs of less than $1 per watt. Read More
Thin film panel production breakthrough to reduce solar electricity costs
By Gizmag Team
20:55 September 5, 2007
September 6, 2007 Solar panel manufacturing is a costly process and is a major reason for solar electricity being so expensive to set up and maintain. In what it describes as a world first, Applied Materials has introduced an integrated production line for manufacturing solar modules using 5.7m² glass panels. The ultra-large substrates, sized at 2.2m x 2.6m ,are designed to achieve low production cost per watt and drive down the cost of solar electricity installations by around 20%. Read More
Honda Soltec established to sell Thin Film Solar Cells
By Mike Hanlon
22:00 December 3, 2006
December 4, 2006 Honda is getting into the solar cell business following an announcement on Friday that it plans to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Soltec Co., Ltd., which will produce and sell the next-generation thin film solar cell independently developed by Honda. The new company will lead Honda to make a full-scale entry into the solar cell business. Read More
