The F3 Energy Group Solution: Amelio Solar Thin-Film Solar Panels = Lowest Cost, More Applications
Thin film photovoltaic technology is rapidly emerging as the solution that will make solar power truly viable as a major energy source. This technology involves applying a very thin layer of photovoltaic material onto a glass panel which is then bonded to a second glass panel such that the photovoltaic material is securely encased between two layers of glass. This simple encapsulated glass configuration makes thin-film solar panels highly durable, easy to handle and useful for a variety of applications.
Thin film technology has many significant advantages, both economic and practical, over the traditional crystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar panels:
Much less expensive: Thin-film panels use only a thin layer of photovoltaic material, 100 times thinner than the material used in traditional panels.
The most prevalent thin-film technology, amorphous silicon, uses only a small fraction of the amount of silicon used in traditional solar panels and, furthermore, the type of silicon used in these advanced panels is less processed and therefore much less expensive as a source material than the silicon used in traditional panels.
The newest type of thin-film material, CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide), does not use silicon at all.
In addition, because thin-film panels are comprised of photovoltaic material essentially sprayed onto widely available glass, they can be produced cheaply and quickly.
As a result, thin-film panels can be produced for 70% to as little as 30% of the cost per Watt of traditional crystalline and polycrystalline silicon panels. This cost advantage will grow as the cost of crystalline silicon increases while the photovoltaic and manufacturing efficiencies of thin-film panels continue to improve.
Works for more hours each day…and in more weather conditions:
Unlike crystalline and polycrystalline panels, which effectively function in direct sunlight for a few peak hours each day, thin-film Amorphous Silicon solar panels do not lose efficiency as dramatically during off-peak and low-light hours. They can generate electricity throughout daylight hours, at various levels of efficiency depending on light conditions…even during cloud-covered days. So, although thin-film panels currently are less efficient at converting sunlight to electricity than crystalline and polycrystalline panels (from 6% for amorphous silicon thin-film to up to 10% for CIGS thin-film, versus up to 15% for traditional crystalline and polycrystalline silicon), thin-film solar panels function longer each day and year-round. In addition, thin-film panels maintain their efficiency at higher temperatures better than traditional crystalline and polycrystalline silicon panels, whose performance degrades significantly in elevated heat. As a result, thin-film solar panels deliver more kilowatt-hours of electricity per kilowatt of installed capacity than traditional solar panels.
Can function in various positions:
Because thin-film Amorphous Silicon solar panels can function in different angles of direct sunlight and in indirect sunlight with less performance drop-off than traditional solar panels, they can be placed in different positions on a structure. Unlike crystalline and polycrystalline panels, which need to be placed in a specific position to face the sun at peak hours in order to perform, thin-film Amorphous Silicon solar panels can be placed on rooftops, walls and other surfaces at various angles and still generate electricity, although at different levels of efficiency based on the position of the panels in relation to the sun.
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