2008 Photovoltaic trends: Innovative thin film technology and large-scale power plants;

[philb]

2008 Photovoltaic trends: Innovative thin film technology and large-scale power plants;
Gigawatt perspectives in the USA
by Rolf Hug 20.05.2008 solarserver.de
International progress of thin film modules
http://www.solarserver.de/solarmagazin/solar-report_0508_e.html

Large photovoltaic power plants:
average growth by almost 100 % since 2005

by Denis Lenardic and Rolf Hug 24/01/2008
http://www.solarserver.de/solarmagazin/solar-report_0108_e.html

Organic photovoltaics:solar power from extremely thin tinted films
and polymer films
by Rolf Hug
06.09.2007
This new generation of solar cells could be providing environmentally friendly and cost-effective power in fold-up mobile telephone chargers or on car roofs in the very near future. The photovoltaic cells made of organic semiconductor materials are flexible and as thin as plastic films, as well as light-weight and variable in colour. But mainly in the construction industry these organic solar cells are to be utilised as thin, photoactive layer on roofs, façades or even on windows.
http://www.solarserver.de/solarmagazin/solar-report_0807_e.html


Thin-Film solar Market Soaring August 16, 2007
According to a new report from NanoMarkets LC the global market for thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) is forecast to reach $7.2 billion by 2015, compared to just over $1.0 billion today.
The report states that the market is being driven by the inherent advantages of TFPV. . . . most manufacturers are ramping up production capacity and several -- including First Solar, Fuji Electric, Nanosolar, Sanyo, Uni-Solar and G24i -- are building plants with more than 100 MW in capacity.
Some of the findings of the report include:
• PV could eventually account for as much as 20 percent of the U.S. market's energy needs.
• TFPV was only five percent of the entire PV market recently , but it is expected to account for 35 percent of the photovoltaics market by 2015.
• TFPV can be manufactured using simple printing or other R2R machines. Printing TFPV has the potential for lowering capital costs by as much as 75 percent, reducing waste and increasing throughput.
• thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/08/thin-film-solar.html

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1. Why Thin-Film CIGS Solar Cells Are Poised for Big Growth

January 7, 2008 Renewable Energy World
Why Thin-Film CIGS Solar Cells Are Poised for Big Growth
by Greg Howard
As the solar industry continues to report impressive growth rates each year, companies with proven solar cells at market price are not having much difficulty finding customers for everything they can produce. This also applies to new technologies such as thin-film solar cells.
Investment in thin-film CIGS-(Copper, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium) based solar cell manufacturers has been very robust, with companies such as MiaSole, Global Solar, NanoSolar, Solyndra and others receiving significant funding to support their growth. This indicates confidence in thin-film CIGS technology.
Thin film is a process where material from a target source is coated onto a substrate via a plasma field. These thin films are minuscule — angstroms to microns thick — and therefore use a very small amount of material to achieve most coating thickness goals. Silicon solar cells use a wafer of Silicon (Si) — a 10 story building in thickness compared to thin films that are just microns thick.
The benefit to using a CIGS process is that it has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of manufacturing with a high production yield. That means that when the CIGS thin-film process is perfected, the cost of CIGS solar cells will likely come down.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/reinsider/story?id=51031

Spectacular Growth of Thin Film Solar Industry as Cost of Thin Film Solar Continues to Drop Dramatically
http://www.azocleantech.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=77

Bo Varga
Managing Director
Silicon Valley Nano Ventures

Abstract:
The fundamental driver for solar PV & solar thermal is the efficiency & cost of conversion of sunlight to electricity or to heat. The competition is either fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Nuclear is high risk due to terrorism, waste products, "not in my backyard". Fossil fuels depend on the "carbon subsidy" - current prices do not including payment for global warming & the destruction of the biosphere. Solar growth at 20% per year for 50 years can replace fossil fuels & nuclear and remove the causes of global warming.
March 14th, 2007

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2. To keep up with this stuff

I recommend two sites, renewableenergyworld.com andsolarindustrymag.com Either one will give you updates and news of the solar industry.