Thin Film and Organic PV: New Applications for Solar Energy

Abstract

This report examines and quantifies the emerging market for thin film/flexible photovoltaic technology. It examines the virtues and disadvantages or rival research programs, such as silicon on metal, CIGS on metal and organic PV and compares the various strategies now being employed to create new PV products for the mobile computer and communications, building materials, outdoor power, emergency power and other sectors. The report provides detailed forecasts of PV shipments broken out by technology type and application. It also discusses how far this new type of photovoltaics can eat into traditional photovoltaics markets.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

• E.1 Background to Thin Film PV
• E.2 Materials and Production Platforms for TF PV
• E.2.1 New Directions for Production: The Role of Printing
• E.3 Applications Thin Film and Organic PV: Key Performance Criteria
• E.4 Relationship to Other Thin-Film and Organic Electronics Products
• E.5 Firms to Watch
• E.6 Summary of Forecasts

Chapter One: Introduction

• 1.1 Background to Report
• 1.2 Objectives and Scope of this Report
• 1.3 Methodology of this Report
• 1.4 Plan of this Report

Chapter Two: Enabling Technologies and Materials

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Silicon Approaches: Innovalight, Iowa Thin Film, Sanyo and Uni-Solar
• 2.3 CIS/CIGS Approaches: DayStar, Global Solar Energy, MiaSole, Heliovolt, Honda and Shell Solar
• 2.4 Polymers and Hybrid Organic/Inorganic: Konarka and Nanosolar
• 2.5 Small Molecules: Global Photonic Energy
• 2.6 CdTe: First Solar
• 2.7 "Third Generation," Nano-Enabled Photovoltaics and GaAs

Chapter Three: Applications and Markets

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Large Projects
• 3.3 Integrated Building Products
• 3.4 Consumer Electronics
• 3.5 Military and Emergency Applications
• 3.6 Other Applications: The Promise of Disposable Electronics

Chapter Four: Eight-Year Forecasts

• 4.1 Eight-Year Forecasts of Thin Film Electronics Technology
• 4.2 A Justification for Forecasting and Sources of Error
• 4.3 Forecasts

Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in this Report

List of Exhibits

• Exhibit E-1: Claimed Advantages of Thin Film Approaches
• Exhibit E-2: Selected Firms in the Thin-Film PV Market
• Table E-3: Summary of Organic/PV Markets ($ Millions)
• Exhibit 4-1: TF Photovoltaic Markets: By Production Technology ($ Millions)
• Exhibit 4-2: TF Photovoltaic Markets: By Materials ($ Millions)