Sharp Develops Mass-Production Technology for Triple-Junction Thin-Film Solar Cells
Dramatic Improvement in Conversion Efficiency, Mass Production to Begin in 2007
Sharp press release, Jan 24, 2007
Sharp Corporation has successfully developed mass-production technology for stacked triple-junction thin-film solar cells by turning a conventional two-active-layer structure (amorphous silicon plus microcrystalline silicon) into a triple-junction structure with amorphous silicon (two active layers) and microcrystalline silicon (single active layer). This new architecture boosts cell conversion efficiency from 11% to 13% and module conversion efficiency from 8.6% to 10%. Mass production is slated to begin in May 2007 at Sharp’s Katsuragi Plant in Nara Prefecture. ...
Normally, the shift from a two-layer structure to a three-layer structure would demand an increase in production equipment, but these newly developed thin-film solar cells can be fabricated on the same equipment as conventional tandem (two-layer) cells. Consequently, the shift to multiple active layers enables increases in conversion efficiencies and thus a lower price per watt without the need for expensive, large-scale equipment. ...
In a separate press release they announced that they were doubling the capacity of their UK facility to 22o MW.
Thus the efficiency and cost of PV solar is being incrementally reduced by the worlds largest producer of solar cells. This probably indicates that they will eventually shift more of their production to thin-films cells.
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