SCALENANO

Development and scale-up of nanostructured based materials and processes for low cost high efficiency chalcogenide based photovoltaics

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This project will exploit the potential of chalcogenide based thin film photovoltaic technologies for the development and scale-up of new processes based on nanostructured materials for the production of high efficiency and low cost photovoltaic devices and modules compatible with mass production requirements. Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) chalcogenide based devices have the highest efficiency of all thin film PV technologies, having recently achieved a record value of 20.3% at cell level. These technologies have already entered the stage of mass production, with commercial modules that provide stable efficiencies in the 11-12% range, and a predicted world-side production capacity over 2 GW/a for 2011.

However, current production methods in CIGS industrial technologies typically rely on costly, difficult to control (over large surfaces) vacuum-based deposition processes that are known for low material utilisation of 30-50%. This compromises the potential reduction of material costs inherent to thin film technologies.

At the forefront of this, the SCALENANO project proposes the development of alternative environmental friendly and vacuum free processes based on the electrodepositon of nanostructured precursors with the objective to achieve a much more efficient exploitation of the cost saving and efficiency potential of CIGS based PV. The project also includes the exploration and development of alternative new processes with very high potential throughput and process rate based in the use of printing techniques with novel nanoparticle ink formulations and new cost effective deposition techniques, that will allow proposing an industrial roadmap for the future generation of chalcogenide based cells and modules'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists are developing photovoltaic technologies based on chalcogenide elements in their quest to further reduce the manufacturing cost of solar modules.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaics (PV) is one of the three main PV thin-film technologies used in solar cells. Despite having already entered the mass production stage, it currently relies on expensive and difficult to control vacuum-based deposition processes.

Scientists initiated the http://www.scalenano.eu/ SCALENANO project to develop a non-vacuum-based alternative with environmentally friendly processes based on nanoparticle electrodeposition of the precursor material. This process results in better precursor lateral homogeneity.

Project members are focusing on improving solar cell architectures by growing zinc oxide nanorod arrays on a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer by electrodeposition. In situ, online quality control and monitoring techniques are being developed to scale up non-vacuum processes in large-area substrates.

Besides electrodeposition, researchers are working on validating and developing alternative processes to produce the next generation of chalcogenide-based cells and modules. Electrostatic spray-assisted vapour deposition (ESAVD) and chemical vapour deposition were some of the methods showing the greatest promise. Kesterite absorber materials were evaluated for their suitability as replacement material for the scarcely available indium in future thin-film solar cells.

Scientists have already identified precursor systems for further optimisation and reliably produced them using easily scalable technology. They have successfully demonstrated an efficiency of up to 12 % in a CIGS electrodeposited layer on a 30 x 60 cm2 area. A kesterite device from electrodeposited metal precursors has been developed and chalcogenide layers based on ESAVD have also been deposited on a glass substrate. Furthermore, the first TCOs have been synthesised by employing electrodeposition, ESAVD or chemical bath deposition.

SCALENANO plans to deliver low-cost deposition technology for depositing functional PV thin-film layers. The end products are expected to demonstrate efficient energy conversion at significantly reduced costs compared to conventional deposition methods.