[nanoPost] Thin-film photovoltaic cell

Company USA

The company manufactures a thin-film photovoltaic cell. It consists of an ultra-thin layer of photoactive material (copper indium gallium diselenide) on a stainless steel foil only 50 microns thick. It can easily be used in PV modules or incorporated into building materials like membrane roofing.

WEIGHT
Depending on the robustness required by a given application, solar modules made with Miasolé's cells can weigh between 80 and 90 percent less than glass plate modules.

The photactive material is a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (Cu(In,Ga)Se2). When combined in the proper ratios, these materials form a semiconductor that can be applied as a thin film to create photovoltaic cells on many carrier substrates. The photactive material("absorber") layer absorbs photons, the first step in the transformation of solar energy to electricity.
Advantages over Crystalline Silicon
The photactive material solar cells offer several advantages over crystalline silicon solar cells. In particular, The photactive material cells are:

Less expensive per Watt
More efficient in low-angle and low-light conditions
Extremely lightweight
Flexible enough to conform to small-radius curves
Stable and reliable (even self-healing) in real-world conditions
These advantages are further enhanced when incorporated with flexible encapsulants into flexible photovoltaic modules that Miasolé now manufactures in high volume.

The photactive material is a direct band-gap semiconductor (in contrast to crystalline silicon, which is an indirect band-gap semiconductor). This difference is crucial, as it allows The photactive material films to generate far more electricity per unit of material. The photactive material film as thin as 1 micron produces a photoelectric effect equal to that of a crystalline silicon wafer 200-300 microns thick. In other words, The photactive material cells use less than 1% of the semiconductor material required by crystalline silicon cells, which yields an inherent (and sustainable) cost advantage.