- #36
nikkkom
- 2,075
- 400
Ken Fabos said:I think solar will continue to improve and grow rapidly. Which technology will come to dominate is still unknown; new methods and materials keep being discovered and developed. Because solar pv can be achieved with thin films the potential for mass production at low cost is enormous.
Low cost of PV cells is a yesterdays' problem. Now, cost of the cell per se is only about half of the module cost. Therefore, now the focus is not on the lowest cost of cell, but on reasonable cost of cell combined with reasonable efficiency.
At the moment, 20% efficiency is considered sweet spot, slowly creeping to 23%.
Theoretical maximum for single-junction Si is 29%, for single-junction of any semiconductor is 33%.
People are trying to make double-junction cells of 30% efficiency practical for cheap mass-production.