|
Thin-film solar films are more than 100x thinner than silicon-wafer cells and thus have correspondingly lower materials cost.
Combining the materials-cost advantage of thin films with the process cost advantage of Nanosolar's 100x faster process technology leads to the best of both worlds.
The result is the world's most cost-efficient solar electricity cells and panels:
Technology Wave |
I. Wafer Cells |
II. Vacuum-Based
Thin-Film-on-Glass
|
III. Roll-Printed
Thin-Film-on-Foil |
| Process: |
Silicon wafer processing |
Sputtering, evaporation in a vacuum chamber |
Printing in plain air |
| Process Control: |
Fragile wafers |
Expensive metrology |
Built-in bottom-up reproducibility |
| Process Yield: |
Robust |
Fragile |
Robust |
| Materials Utilization: |
30% |
30-50% |
Over 95% |
| Substrate: |
Wafer |
Glass |
Conductive Foil |
| Continuous Processing: |
No -- wafer handling |
No -- glass handling |
Yes |
| Cell Matching: |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Panel Current: |
High |
Low |
High |
| Energy Payback: |
3 years |
1.7 years |
< 1 month |
| Throughput/CapEx |
1 |
2-5 |
10-25 |
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