Thin film solar cell, how much do you know?

In recent years, solar cells more and more attention by researchers, rapid development, bright prospects. In  addition to the traditional crystal silicon used in the preparation of  solar cells, and now thin-film solar panels have also developed in full  swing, then what is the thin film solar cells? How are their performance? Follow Xiaobian see it!

With the development of basic science, the performance of solar panels has also been greatly improved. Thin-film solar panels are becoming mainstream. Compared to the traditional silicon solar panels, it has better  flexibility, broaden the application of solar cells, and your home  structure can be seamlessly connected!

Traditional solar panels and thin film panels are different                          frameless solar panels
The most obvious difference between the two is the thickness,  resulting in the traditional solar panels and thin film solar cells in  the solar capture efficiency differences, the reason is that the  different materials, thin film solar cells using different compounds.

The  traditional solar panels are crystalline silicon (C-Si), the technology  has been developed for many years, more mature and reliable. It is worth noting that although C-Si has a high energy conversion  efficiency, but the actual light absorption efficiency is poor, which  means that the solar panels must be thick enough to improve the actual  efficiency.              

In  contrast, thin film technology can "mix and match" a variety of  elements, thinner than the traditional solar panels about 350 times,  through the glass, metal, plastic and other materials on the surface  coating or deposition can be prepared solar panel. In this way, different types of materials can be fully utilized for light energy and improve efficiency.

Types of thin film solar cells

Now,  thin-film solar cells to achieve two goals: First, to have sufficient  flexibility, can be attached to the surface of large building materials,  the second is to achieve the same efficiency and even the traditional  solar cells. The  thin film solar panels obtained by different fabrication techniques  have different advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional  solar panels. The name of a thin film solar panel is usually derived from the type of semiconductor material.                   frameless solar panels
1. Unshaped silicon (a-Si)

Unshaped silicon is the earliest and most mature for the production of thin film solar cells. This  may be because the crystalline silicon has long been used in  traditional solar cells, people understand the nature of silicon more  thorough.

advantage:

Unlike  crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon has a high solar absorptivity to  make it possible to form a thin film structure, and also effectively  reduce the cost. Because of its raw materials,  non-toxic, inexpensive features, amorphous silicon quickly became the  first film method, into the mainstream.

Disadvantages:

Because of its low conversion efficiency, most of them only appear in small, flexible electronic products.

2. Cadmium telluride (CdTe)

CdTe-based solar  cells are the second most popular photovoltaic technology, the  conversion efficiency is stable at about 5%, the manufacturing process  is simple and rapid. And silicon-based materials can be comparable to the conversion efficiency, but also to promote its application.

advantage:

CdTe is cheaper than silicon-based solar cells, and more notably, it has the smallest carbon footprint and the payback period. Although CdTe and other thin film materials, in terms of efficiency still lag behind the traditional c-Si panel. However,  the gap is shrinking, in 2015, a company called First Solar CdTe solar  panel efficiency can achieve the average commercial efficiency - 16.1%.

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Disadvantages:

One  of the major drawbacks of CdTe is the use of "very" materials. Cadmium  is a highly toxic substance that accumulates in the food chain like  mercury. This is contrary to environmentally friendly, safe and  non-toxic concepts.

Many organizations and  laboratories are looking for environmentally friendly, highly efficient  alternatives, and solar manufacturers are exploring ways to recover and  recycle cadmium-containing materials to solve environmental problems.

3. Copper indium gallium selenium (CIGS)

This kind of solar cell is another popular type of semiconductor. CIGS  technology has become more and more important in Europe and Japan, and  manufacturers around the world have used this technology to fully  exploit the potential for the conversion efficiency of environmentally  friendly materials.

advantage:

The  advantage of CIGS is that it is an environmentally friendly material  that facilitates the pursuit of long-term benefits by manufacturers.  This material is made of solar cells compared to other thin film  materials, with high potential efficiency and also great thermal  resistance. Because it is not easy to break down, in some of the higher life expectancy of the application of equipment has great potential.

Disadvantages:

CIGS  technology has not yet exceeded the traditional silicon-based solar  panels, but in recent years, the conversion efficiency has improved  significantly. Although the efficiency of  laboratory-based synthesis is more than 20%, the efficiency is less than  half the experimental value in practical applications.

4. New copper-zinc-tin-sulfur method (CZTS)

In  the search for both environmentally friendly and raw materials rich in  solar cell materials on the road, CZTS scientists found. CZTS and CIGS are similar in performance and preparation, but are less efficient.

advantage:

CZTS is composed of rich reserves of copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur selenide on earth. This means that this compound is environmentally friendly and cheap. But CdTe and CIGS in the tellurium and indium in the earth content is very rare.

Disadvantages:

CZTS  is still in the early stages of development, in order to achieve  commercialization, put forward a higher efficiency requirements, and now  can achieve the conversion efficiency of 7.6%. Only the efficiency of at least 20%, in order to become the leader in similar solar cells.

to sum up:

I  believe that the finishing of this article will help clarify what is  the advantages and disadvantages of thin film solar panels, and their  photoelectric conversion. With the maturity of these technologies, they will become very competitive products. For the use of solar energy, there are already other alternative processes and methods. For example, solar roof tiles, both to beautify your home, but also can save energy costs. Let us look forward to what kind of solar cells will be the next development and innovation now!

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