Photovoltaic (PV) technologies have a substantial role in meeting electric power needs in the next century, especially with an expected competitive position compared to conventional power-generation and other renewable- energy technologies. Thin-film photovoltaic modules based on CdTe, CuInSe2 or Si can potentially be produced by economical, high-volume manufacturing techniques, dramatically reducing component cost. However, the translation of laboratory thin-film technologies to first-time, large-scale manufacturing has been much more difficult than expected. This is due to the complexity of the processes involved for making large-area PV modules at high rates and with high yields, and compounded by the lack of a fundamental scientific and engineering base required to properly engineer and operate manufacturing equipment. In this paper, we discuss the need to develop diagnostics tools and associated predictive models that quantitatively assess processing conditions and pro duct properties. Incorporation of the diagnostic sensors into both laboratory reactors and manufacturing facilities will (1) underpin the development of solar cells with improved efficiency, and (2) accelerate the scale-up process through intelligent process-control schemes. ''Next-generation'' high-performance (e.g.,>25% conversion efficiency) thin-film PV modules will also be assessed, along with critical issues associated with their development.

Thin film photovoltaic-based solar modules produce power at a low cost per watt. They are ideal candidates for large-scale solar farms as well as building-integrated photovoltaic applications. They can generate consistent power, not only at elevated temperatures but also on cloudy, overcast days and at low sun angles.Thin film photovoltaics are second-generation solar cells produced by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin films, of photosensitive material on a suitable substrate such as glass, polymer, or metal. Thin film solar cells are based on various materials such as cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin film silicon (a-Si, TF-Si) are commercially used in several conventional and advanced technologies.

We review the status of commercial polycrystalline thin-film solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) modules, including current and projected commercialization activities.

II-VI binary thin-film solar cells based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) and I-III-VI ternary thin-film solar cells based on copper indium diselenide (CIS) and related materials have been the subject of intense research and development in the past few years. Substantial progress has been made thus far in the area of materials research, device fabrication, and technology development, and numerousapplications based on CdTe and CIS have been deployed worldwide. World record efficiency of 16.5% has been achieved by NREL scientists for a thin-film CdTe solar cell using a modified device structure. Also, NREL scientists achieved world-record efficiency of 21.1% for a thin-film CIGS solar cell under a 14X concentration and AM1.5 global spectrum. When measured under a AM1.5 direct spectrum,the efficiency increases to 21.5%. Pathways for achieving 25% efficiency for tandem polycrystalline thin-film solar cells are elucidated. R&D issues relating to CdTe and CIS are reported in this paper, such as contact stability and accelerated life testing in CdTe, and effects of moisture ingress in thin-film CIS devices. Substantial technology development is currently under way, with variousgroups reporting power module efficiencies in the range of 7.0% to 12.1% and power output of 40.0 to 92.5 W. A number of lessons learned during the scale-up activities of the technology development for fabrication of thin-film power modules are discussed. The major global players actively involved in the technology development and commercialization efforts using both rigid and flexible powermodules are highlighted.

We review the status of commercial polycrystalline thin-film solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) modules, including current and projected commercialization activities.

This book provides recent development in thin-film solar cells (TFSC). TFSC have proven the promising approach for terrestrial and space photovoltaics. TFSC have the potential to change the device design and produce high efficiency devices on rigid/flexible substrates with significantly low manufacturing cost. TFSC have several advantages in manufacturing compared to traditional crystalline Si-solar cells like less requirement of materials, can be prepared with earth’s abundant materials, less processing steps, easy to dispose, etc. Several universities/research institutes/industry in India and abroad are involved in the research area of thin-film solar cells. The book helps the readers to find the details about different thin-film technologies and its advancement at one place. Each chapter covers properties of materials, its suitability for PV applications, simple manufacturing processes and recent and past literature survey. The issues related to the development of high efficiency TFSC devices over large area and its commercial and future prospects are discussed.

This book provides the latest research & developments and future trends in photoenergy and thin film materials—two important areas that have the potential to spearhead the future of the industry. Photoenergy materials are expected to be a next generation class of materials to provide secure, safe, sustainable and affordable energy. Photoenergy devices are known to convert the sunlight into electricity. These types of devices are simple in design with a major advantage as they are stand-alone systems able to provide megawatts of power. They have been applied as a power source for solar home systems, remote buildings, water pumping, megawatt scale power plants, satellites, communications, and space vehicles. With such a list of enormous applications, the demand for photoenergy devices is growing every year. On the other hand, thin films coating, which can be defined as the barriers of surface science, the fields of materials science and applied physics are progressing as a unified discipline of scientific industry. A thin film can be termed as a very fine, or thin layer of material coated on a particular surface, that can be in the range of a nanometer in thickness to several micrometers in size. Thin films are applied in numerous areas ranging from protection purposes to electronic semiconductor devices. The 16 chapters in this volume, all written by subject matter experts, demonstrate the claim that both photoenergy and thin film materials have the potential to be the future of industry.