Abstract
Today, thin-film PV is one of the most vibrant areas of PV technology and
represents a growing share of solar panel production. Initially, the market
was driven by the shortage of crystalline silicon, but now that this shortage
has eased, thin-film PV has its low-cost, low-weight and flexibility to
recommend it. And, the thin-film PV market is moving well beyond amorphous
silicon. In particular, CIGS seems set to offer all the virtues of thin-film
PV with energy conversion efficiencies that aren' t that much lower than
conventional PV, while CdTe solar panels have been flourishing.
This new report NanoMarkets offers a fresh assessment of where the thin-film
PV market is headed over the next eight years as well as analysis of the
strategies of leading firms active in this space. The materials platforms
covered in this report include amorphous silicon, CIGS, CdTe, and GaAs as well
as interesting materials and architectures for thin-film PV that are about to
emerge from the laboratory. Each of these technologies is reviewed in terms of
their key performance characteristics (e.g., conversion efficiencies, costs
per watt, etc.) and how these might improve in the future. We also look at the
evolution of roll-to-roll, printing and other manufacturing processes that
will significantly impact the cost of thin-film PV in the future.
In this report we examine which market segments are likely to generate
significant revenues for thin-film PV. Market segments examined in detail
include building integrated systems, mobile and wearable computing, central
power generation, disposable electronics, portable and emergency power
(including battery chargers), and military and aerospace applications.
Finally, the report contains detailed eight-year forecasts of PV shipments
broken out by technology type and application and discusses how far this new
type of photovoltaics can eat into traditional photovoltaics markets.
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