Alternative Energy Press

IDTechEx has just launched a comprehensive report that gives a thorough analysis of printed and thin film photovoltaics and batteries - covering the technologies, markets and players. The report covers companies, research institutes and universities that are active in developing and commercializing thin film and printed technologies for photovoltaics and batteries. Photovoltaic technologies covered include CIGS, CdTe, DSSC, a-Si and organic photovoltaics. Each of them is at a different stage of development and adoption and they are all driven forward by both government incentives in different countries around the world and leading companies in the field.

The report also describes materials (both organic and inorganic) and device structures for thin batteries and photovoltaics as well as various high-speed printing technologies that can be employed for their manufacture.

New Technologies Emerging

Silicon solar cells are seen in many places and represent approximately 95% of current photovoltaic implementations but the technology is limited. Crystalline silicon will never give tightly rollable devices let alone transparent ones or even low cost power generation on flexible substrates. Fortunately there are many new alternatives. Proprietary nano-particle silicon printing processes are developed by companies such as Innovalight and they could deliver many of the photovoltaic features that conventional silicon can never achieve (e.g. They can be printed reel to reel on stainless steel or other high temperature substrates).

Technologies Beyond Silicon

A lot of the work on the next generation of photovoltaics is directed at printing onto low cost flexible polymer film and ultimately on common packaging materials. The main contenders are currently:

• CIGS
• CdTe
• DSSC
• Organic Photovoltaics

Several companies, universities and research institutes are hard at work in different development stages of these technologies with large scale plants being built across the globe. We profile 57 such organizations in this report.

Printing Techniques: Adoption and Commercialization

Along with other manufacturing techniques, printing (or printing-like) technologies are gradually being adopted (Nanosolar, G24 Innovations in the PV sector, Power Paper, Solicore and Thin Battery technology in the batteries sector), as they can be considered to be some of the fastest, least expensive and highest volume manufacturing techniques. With printed electronics becoming more prevalent, there is an increasing need for power to supply them; printing is amenable to a large number of different types of devices with the possibility of integration (e.g. to provide onboard power etc.)

The scope of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of innovative technologies and a list of key companies that are active in each of the thin film photovoltaics and batteries field. Compiled and analyzed by Dr Harry Zervos, technology analyst with IDTechEx, company profiles are given along with 20 year forecasts for the growth of the market share of these technologies. Dr Bruce Kahn, consultant and academic, gives a thorough analysis of the science and technology behind thin film photovoltaics and batteries, as well as a comparison of different high-speed printing techniques.

Photovoltaics Beyond Conventional Silicon

30% Discount Offer - The report is offered at a discounted price when you register for the “Photovoltaics Beyond Conventional Silicon” Conference, which takes place in Denver, Colorado on June 17-18, 2008. The conference will cover emerging innovative technologies from CIGS to concentrators to nano-enabled approaches, all in the combined efforts for wider PV commercialization.

For more information on the conference and the report, please visit www.idtechex.com/pvUSA (conference website) or www.idtechex.com/pv (report website).