News

9 November 2010

 

XsunX ups CIGS PV cell efficiency further to 15.1%

XsunX Inc of Aliso Viejo, CA, USA has further enhanced the energy conversion efficiency of its thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) cells — based on its copper indium gallium diselenide CIGSolar technology — from 15.09% (announced on 26 October) to 15.1%, after surpassing 14% just in mid-October. With other market-ready thin-film technologies functioning at 8–11% for solar modules, XsunX believes that CIGSolar illustrates conversion efficiency that may soon lead to gains over current technology.

“Our confidence that small-area co-evaporation processes is the key to delivering the best performance CIGS thin-film cells continues to be strengthened,” says CEO Tom Djokovich.

CIGS thin-film researchers have concluded that the theoretical limit for CIGS solar technology conversion efficiency is 29%, although the highest percentage ever achieved is 20% in a laboratory setting.

“We are developing our technology on the same size substrates we intend to use in our commercial systems, about the same size as a silicon solar cell, so the efficiency levels we achieve in the laboratory we believe will be transferable to what we can offer the market,” notes Djokovich. “Unlike current solar developers, we don’t anticipate having to struggle with the challenges of scaling product while maintaining laboratory efficiencies.”

XsunX claims that it has achieved 15.1% in a relatively short period of time and with less cost compared to other CIGS efforts that spanned many years and incurred significantly higher capital demands for less than similar results. The firm claims that this, coupled with the technology’s perceived value as an alternate for the use of silicon solar cells, has accelerated industry's interest levels, leading not only to additional license discussions for XsunX but also allowing it to work towards executing its plan to develop joint venture license agreements to deliver the technology package through existing manufacturers.

XsunX says that this combination of leveraging existing branded manufacturers to deliver its systems and having branded module assemblers integrate the CIGSolar technology into their products allows it to significantly reduce the need for debt or equity financing to build factories directly while also providing bankability for its technology through proven manufacturers of solar modules.

Deposition of the CIGS cell layer is conducted on full-size 125mm square substrates. XsunX’s test configurations used to measure efficiency are identical to that used by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the firm's test equipment is calibrated to the standards of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

See related items:

XsunX boosts its CIGS PV cell efficiency to 15.09%

XsunX produces CIGSolar cells surpassing 14% efficiency

Search: XsunX CIGS solar cell CIGS

Visit: www.xsunx.com

For more: Latest issue of Semiconductor Today