2 December 2011

ISET ships initial non-vacuum CIGS PV modules to customers

International Solar Electric Technology Inc (ISET) of Chatsworth, northwest of downtown Los Angeles‚ CA, USA, which manufactures printed thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar panels, has shipped full-sized modules from its pilot production facility to initial customers in South Korea. Initial products were designed and assembled to meet the specifications of distributed power markets as ISET targets growth in an underserved industry segment.

CIGS PV modules will supply off-grid electricity for LED lighting applications in agricultural, industrial, and transportation markets. ISET has raised just under $18m to develop a pilot facility in Southern California capable of manufacturing CIGS modules from bare glass to final module assembly.

ISET claims to be the first PV firm to ship monolithically integrated CIGS products based on a printed ink process. CEO & president Dr Vijay K. Kapur identifies this milestone as “the product of thinking globally and competitively”, pointing out that “global competition has pushed prices to a level which we had anticipated from the start… I am extremely proud that we have begun to export American-made PV products based on ISET’s manufacturing platform which can be truly cost competitive.”

The firm’s first shipments closely follow recent announcements of efficiency and yield milestones in preparation for expansion to volume manufacturing. In August, ISET announced the achievement of 11.3%-efficient prototype CIGS modules.

Tags: CIGS PV modules

Visit: www.isetinc.com