Silicon-Light: a European project aiming at high efficiency thin film silicon solar cells on foil

¹ Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
² University of Ljubjana, 12 1000 Ljubjana, Slovenia
³ Umicore Thin Film Products AG, 9496 Balzers, Liechtenstein
⁴ Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
⁵ Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
⁶ Universidad Politechnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
⁷ Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, P.R. China

^a e-mail: soppe@ecn.nl

Received: 29 July 2013
Received in final form: 20 November 2013
Accepted: 6 January 2014
Published online: 7 July 2014

Abstract

In the European project Silicon-Light we developed concepts and technologies to increase conversion efficiencies of thin film silicon solar cells on foil. Main focus was put on improved light management, using NIL for creating light scattering textures, improved TCOs using sputtering, and improved silicon absorber material made by PECVD. On foil we achieved initial cell efficiencies of 11% and on rigid substrates stable efficiencies of 11.6% were achieved. Finally, the project demonstrated the industrial scale feasibility of the developed technologies and materials. Cost of ownership calculations showed that implementation of these technologies on large scale would enable the production of these high efficiency solar modules at manufacturing cost of 0.65 €/Wp with encapsulation costs (0.20 €/Wp) being the dominant costs. Life cycle analysis showed that large scale production of modules based on the technologies developed in Silicon-Light would have an energy payback time of 0.85 years in Central European countries.