Semiconductor India PHOTOVOLTAICS
Silicon solar cell concepts
for the 21st century
Energy production through solar cells is a promising and fast growing market
and has become the largest group to benefit from India’s Semiconductor Policy.
For India to make its global mark in this industry cost reduction is the key. Els
Parton, Patrick Verbist, Guy Beaucarne and Jef Poortmans of IMEC show a
glimpse of the future of silicon solar cells with a roadmap defining the way.
The photovoltaics sector is a strongly multicrystalline silicon photovoltaic silicon PV technology, comprising both
growing industrial sector with an average modules, about 50% of the cost is related to routes of thin wafer and thin film cells.
growth rate of 40% over the last decade. It the silicon substrate. This is distributed
is expected that this growth rate will remain between material costs, crystallisation and Thin wafer silicon solar cells
in the order of 25-40%/year for the next wafering. The price of the silicon substrate So called ‘bulk’ solar cells are based on self
decade as a result of the efforts made for photovoltaic modules depends on the supporting silicon wafers, 180 to 240µm
worldwide to reduce dependence on fossil cost and availability of the polysilicon thick. Most commercial solar cell factories
fuel and the CO
2
emissions related to feedstock. Today, the photovoltaic sector is today use multi crystalline silicon wafers,
electricity generation. faced with a lack of polysilicon, raising the usually p-type doped. N-type dopants are
prices of the silicon substrate. From this, it diffused on the front side of the
In India, there is a growing interest to invest is obvious that the solar cell wafer. In this way, a p-n
in solar energy production, both from cost can be reduced junction is formed a few
companies and from the government by lowering the hundred nanometers
(through subsidies). India has abundant consumption of below the surface.
solar resources, receiving about 3,000 hours expensive electronic
of sunshine every year. India’s economy is grade silicon in the solar
growing fast and to fuel this growth cell. There are different
electricity production should be able to approaches to achieve
meet the demands, both commercial and this: using thin wafers,
residential. Solar electricity may help fill only 100 to 150µm thick
the demand gap, especially in peak time instead of conventional
demand. Moreover, solar energy can be a 220µm thick wafers; or
solution for the many remote villages that applying a thin film of
are not connected to the electricity grid. crystalline silicon (less than
20µm thick) on a low cost
Thin, Thinner, Thinnest substrate. IMEC has set up a road
The photovoltaic market is dominated by map with its vision on the future of
solar cells based on bulk crystalline silicon
with a market share of more than 90%. Right: Large area i-PERC solar cell on
When analysing the cost of present a very thin wafer
Autumn 2008 |
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