What is a thin-film solar cell?

This includes some innovative thin-film technologies, such as perovskite, dye-sensitized, quantum dot, organic, and CZTS thin-film solar cells. Thin-film cells have several advantages over first-generation silicon solar cells, including being lighter and more flexible due to their thin construction.

Are thin-film solar cells better than mono crystalline solar cells?

One of the significant drawbacks of thin-film solar cells as compared to mono crystalline modules is their shorter lifetime, though the extent to which this is an issue varies by material with the more established thin-film materials generally having longer lifetimes.

Are thin-film photovoltaics a good investment?

There are also significant points in favour of thin-film photovoltaics in production: Energy and material consumption for their manufacturer is significantly lower, which cuts production costs and provides competitive values for the important ratio of costs to electricity yield even for small production quantities.

When did thin-film solar cells come out?

Thin-film solar efficiencies rose to 10% for Cu 2 S/CdS in 1980, and in 1986 ARCO Solar launched the first commercially-available thin-film solar cell, the G-4000, made from amorphous silicon.

How much does a thin-film PV system cost?

In 1998, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) predicted that production of thin-film PV systems at a cost of $50 per m 2 could someday be possible, which would make them extremely economically viable. At this price, thin-film PV systems would yield return on investment of 30% or greater.

Why are thin-film solar modules gaining global market shares?

High efficiency and low production costs: These are the qualities with which thin-film solar modules are acquiring worldwide market shares. Modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) are particularly promising.