Jul 7 2008
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Thin Film Photovoltaics Markets: 2008 and Beyond" report to their offering.
This report provides our analysis and forecast of the latest in thin-film photovoltaics (PV) technology. Just a few years ago, thin-film PV was little more than a niche in the photovoltaics business and was associated with low-margin products such as calculators. Thin-film PV materials other than amorphous silicon were barely out of the laboratory.
Today, thin-film PV is one of the most vibrant areas of PV technology and represents a growing share of solar panel production. Initially, the market was driven by the shortage of crystalline silicon, but now that this shortage is over, thin-film PV has its low-cost, low-weight and flexibility to recommend it. And the thin-film PV market is moving well beyond amorphous silicon. In particular, CIGS seems set to offer all the virtues of thin-film PV with energy conversion efficiencies that aren't that much lower than conventional PV, while CdTe solar panels have been flourishing.
This new report offers a fresh assessment of where the thin-film PV market is headed over the next eight years as well as analysis of the strategies of leading firms active in this space. The materials platforms covered in this report include amorphous silicon, CIGS, CdTe, and GaAs as well as interesting materials and architectures for thin-film PV that are about to emerge from the laboratory. Each of these technologies is reviewed in terms of their key performance characteristics (e.g., conversion efficiencies, costs per watt, etc.) and how these might improve in the future. We also look at the evolution of roll-to-roll, printing and other manufacturing processes that will significantly impact the cost of thin-film PV in the future.
In this report we examine which market segments are likely to generate significant revenues for thin-film PV. Market segments examined in detail include building integrated systems, mobile and wearable computing, central power generation, disposable electronics, portable and emergency power (including battery chargers), and military and aerospace applications. Finally, the report contains detailed eight-year forecasts of PV shipments broken out by technology type and application and discusses how far this new type of photovoltaics can eat into traditional photovoltaics markets.
Key Topics Covered:
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- INTRODUCTION
- THIN-FILM TECHNOLOGY, MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION STRATEGIES
- MARKETS FOR THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS
- EIGHT-YEAR FORECASTS