Development and performance evaluation of a-Si thin-film PV cell

The increasing demand for energy and the effects of global warming are two major issues. Photovoltaics, which can turn sunlight into electricity, is the most abundant renewable and clean energy source. Production volume of PV modules increases at >35% per year. On the basis of the cumulated Photovoltaic (PV) power installed to date, an annual growth rate of module production of 30% needs to be sustained in order to supply about 5% of the electricity generating power by around 2025. This projection strongly relies on a substantial reduction of the presently high-production costs of PV modules. A possibility to reduce costs is a-Si thin-film PV modules. The specific option of thin-film Si is considered. a-Si thin-film technology works well with both direct and diffused radiation and they are suitable to be applied in shady areas with no drastic loss of efficiency. The efficiency of a-Si PV module is 8–12%. The price of a-Si module is $0·84 per watt (€0·62 per watt) as compared with $1·10 per watt (€0·81 per watt), price of a monocrystalline Si solar module. The energy payback time for thin-film system and monocrystalline module are less than a year and 3·5 years.