The Silicon Photovoltaic Roadmap

This talk will cover the issues facing crystalline silicon PV technology as it continues to mature into a large-scale renewable energy source. In order to finally eliminate the need for government support, as well as to compete with emerging thin-film technologies, it will be important to bring module manufacturing costs well below $1/W, and at the same time continue to improve module efficiency. Balance-of-system costs likewise need large cost reduction. As part of the cost reduction strategy, it seems likely that wafer thickness will continue to decrease into the sub-50 micrometer range. The biggest uncertainty is whether one of the kerfless wafering technologies will mature to the point of widespread commercialization. Whether sawn or kerfless, however, it is clear that efficiencies will continue to improve and that advanced processes will substantially reduce processing cost for a given efficiency. This presentation will discuss various approaches for achieving module efficiencies over 20% at costs well below $1.00 per watt.

Speaker: Richard Swanson, SunPower Corp.