26 July 2011

First Solar raises CdTe PV cell efficiency record from 16.7% to 17.3%

First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA, which makes thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) as well as providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, has set a new record for CdTe solar cell efficiency, reaching 17.3% with a test cell constructed using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials. The test cell’s performance, confirmed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), far surpassed the previous record of 16.7% set in 2001.

Picture: First Solar’s R&D group studies a PV test cell constructed using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials.

“This is a significant milestone that demonstrates the ongoing potential of our advanced thin-film technology,” says chief technology officer Dave Eaglesham. “This leap forward in R&D supports our efficiency roadmap for our production modules and will recalibrate industry expectations for the long-term efficiency potential of CdTe technology,” he reckons. 

“First Solar’s innovation in both module technology and balance of systems engineering continues to drive us closer to grid parity,” claims CEO Rob Gillette. 

The average efficiency of First Solar modules produced in first-quarter 2011 was 11.7%, up from 11.1% a year earlier, and the firm has recorded full-module efficiencies over 13.5%, with a 13.4% module confirmed by NREL. First Solar’s module efficiency roadmap sets a goal for production-module efficiencies of 13.5–14.5% by the end of 2014.

First Solar uses a continuous manufacturing process that transforms a sheet of glass into a complete solar module in less than 2.5 hours, contributing to the firm’s energy payback time and the low carbon footprint of systems using its PV modules. First Solar has also implemented what is claimed to be the industry’s first comprehensive, pre-funded solar module collection and recycling program. Anyone wishing to dispose of modules can request collection at any time, at no additional cost, and the firm will pick up the modules and recycle up to 90% (by mass) of the material for use in new products, including new solar modules and new glass products.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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