PFI:AIR-RA: Advanced Thin-Film Photovoltaics for Sustainable Energy

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This PFI: AIR Research Alliance project focuses on the translation and transfer of higher efficiency Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) technologies that are derived from the expertise and discoveries in advanced materials processing and devices from the Next Generation Photovoltaics Center (NGPV), a NSF funded Industry and University Co-Operative Research Center. CdTe PV is currently competitive for generating electricity in many parts of the world (e.g. 7-9 cents/kWhr from utility scale projects without subsidy) and the costs are decreasing rapidly. However, the objective of this work is to advance the CdTe technology to the point where solar is a competitive source of energy in all regions for individual home owners and a variety of applications which are now considered too expensive to be done electrically. To achieve this, the work proposed under this award will enable a significant increase in device efficiency while also addressing manufacturing methods to reduce costs. This could have a direct impact on further developing the U.S. based CdTe industry with the potential for significant economic growth and job creation. In addition, results from this research will lead to cost-effective opportunities to displace greenhouse-gas emitting technologies with PV technology and corresponding benefits to the environment. The innovation ecosystem that will be enhanced includes all the leading groups in CdTe PV technology space. The proposed project will be led by Colorado State University (CSU), which has a long history of successful CdTe PV research and is a founding member of the NGPV. The primary research partner and third-party investor will be First Solar, Inc., the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar panels. CSU will also be joined by the Center for Renewable Energy Systems at Loughborough university in UK (CREST), the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and material supplier 5N Plus. Students will gain entrepreneurial and technology translation experience through working with industry on their research projects and formal student training in innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer. This project addresses the following technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. The project will advance CSU's state-of-the-art deposition systems and pursue two separate routes to higher-efficiency manufacturing-friendly cells. The first route will be to advance the research on unique device structures to move them to commercialization, and the second will be to develop PV devices with a higher bandgap suitable for multi-junction cells. In addition, detailed characterization of these advanced devices will be performed. The proposed effort will have a clear line of sight to mass production and has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of both single-junction and multi-junction CdTe-based solar cells.