Global Solar Energy
Global Solar Energy is a manufacturer of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells, with manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona, USA, and Berlin, Germany.
Technology
The company uses copper indium gallium diselenide, which achieves up to 19.9% efficiency in laboratory samples,[1] and production cells of about 10.5 to 11 percent average efficiency.[2]
The solar cells are ideal for portable power (including solar jackets) and is 1.5 to 2X greater in performance than comparable thin film flexible solar materials.[3]
Mass production
Global Solar Energy opened in 1996, and in 2008 finished another phase of development as it expanded its CIGS production to a new 40 MW facility in Tucson, Arizona and a second 35 MW facility in Berlin, Germany.[4]
The company expects to produce 20 megawatts of the films at the plant in 2008 before ramping up to 40 megawatts of capacity in 2009 and 140 megawatts by 2010.[5] This makes Global Solar the largest full-scale manufacturer of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics.
Installations
Global Solar Energy operates the largest CIGS solar electric array in the world, a 750 kW system located at the company's manufacturing facility in Tucson.[6] Part of the energy harnessed by this array is being purchased by the factory itself.[7]
Competitors
- HelioVolt Corp. said it had produced CIGS cells with efficiency as high as 12.2 percent on a pilot line.[2]
- Nanosolar said it has created tools that can produce CIGS cells with a 14.5 percent efficiency, but would not say whether the figure applied to cells actually being produced.[8]
- GroupSat Solar has noted that it can produce CIGS cells with a 12.5 percent and an average efficiency of 10 percent in full production efficiency.[8]
- IBM has reported 12% efficiency for its CIS solar cells.[9]
- Solyndra
See also
References
- ^ I. Repins, M. A. Contreras, B. Egaas, C. DeHart, J. Scharf, C. L. Perkins, B. To, and R. Noufi., 19.9%-efficient ZnO/CdS/CuInGaSe$_2$ solar cell with 81.2% fill factor.
- ^ a b "HelioVolt Hits 12.2% Efficiency : Greentech Media". Greentechmedia.com. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/heliovolt-hits-122-efficiency-885.html. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "SCOTTEVEST/SeV - Gear Management Clothing - Solar Panels". Scottevest.com. http://www.scottevest.com/v3_glossary/solarpanels.shtml. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Documents". Compound Semiconductors Online. http://www.compoundsemi.com/documents/articles/gsedoc/9796.html. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Q&A: Global Solar VPs Dish Thin-Film Details : Greentech Media". Greentechmedia.com. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/qa-global-solar-vps-dish-thin-film-details-718.html. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Solar Industry: Content / Projects & Contracts / World's Largest CIGS Solar Array Operational In Arizona". Solarindustrymag.com. 2008-12-03. http://www.solarindustrymag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2222. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "MarketWatch.com". MarketWatch.com. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Worlds-Largest-CIGS-Thin-Film/story.aspx?guid=%7B63742D63-1F40-4BBC-9D5D-09A11EC66379%7D. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ a b "Nanosolar Creates Largest Thin-Film Tool : Greentech Media". Greentechmedia.com. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/nanosolar-creates-largest-thin-film-tool-1023.html. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ Liu, Wei; Mitzi, David B.; Yuan, Min; Kellock, Andrew J.; Chey, S. Jay; Gunawan, Oki (2010). "12% Efficiency CuIn(Se,S)2 Photovoltaic Device Prepared Using a Hydrazine Solution Process†". Chemistry of Materials 22 (3): 1010. doi:10.1021/cm901950q.
External links