A projection of commercial-scale organic photovoltaic module costs

Mulligan, Cara J.; Wilson, Mitchell; Bryant, Glenn; Vaughan, Benjamin; Zhou, Xiaojing; Belcher, Warwick J.; Dastoor, Paul C.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2013.07.041

Cited by 111 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Different publications already investigated the cost analysis of an OPV technology. [10][11][12][13][14][15] Oen in these calculations cost intensive layers were included and tandem devices were not considered. In this manuscript we focus on calculations based on real data determined by a R2R process and scale up effects including experts' opinions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost analysis of roll-to-roll fabricated ITO free single and tandem organic solar modules based on data from manufacture

Machui

Hösel

et al. 2014

Energy Environ. Sci.

177

155

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We present a cost analysis based on state of the art printing and coating processes to fully encapsulated, flexible ITO-and vacuum-free polymer solar cell modules. Manufacturing data for both single junctions and tandem junctions are presented and analyzed. Within this calculation the most expensive layers and processing steps are identified. Based on large roll-to-roll coating experiments the exact material consumptions were determined. In addition to the data for the pilot scale experiment presented here, projections to medium and large scale scenarios serve as a guide to achieve cost targets of 5 Vct per W p in a detailed material and cost analysis. These scenarios include the replacement of cost intensive layers, as well as process optimization steps. Furthermore, the cost structures for single and tandem devices are listed in detail and discussed. In an optimized model the material costs drop below 10 V per m 2 which proves that OPV is a competitive alternative to established power generation technologies. Broader contextAmong the emerging solar cell technologies organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have gained enormous attraction due to their various advantages in applications, i.e. light weight, semitransparency, tunable band gaps and colors. The decisive criteria for a market entrance of a new renewable technology to become a successful competitor are the costs and cost potential which are inuenced by their processing technique. Currently processing of photovoltaic devices is mainly done in non-continuous batch-to-batch processes at elevated temperatures. OPVs offer the advantage of high throughputs due to their compatibility to continuous rollto-roll coating techniques. This leads to the potential to dramatically reduce the processing costs in comparison to mature photovoltaic technologies. One of the drawbacks of OPVs is their lower device efficiency in comparison to inorganic materials. The use of tandem devices offers the potential to overcome the limiting device efficiency of OPVs which requires the printing of several additional layers. Based on state of the art processing costs the exact material consumptions for single and tandem devices were determined and compared. We demonstrate that OPV is a competitive energy technology which is not only compatible with inorganic PV, but also with other energy technologies such as wind, hydro and biomass.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost analysis of roll-to-roll fabricated ITO free single and tandem organic solar modules based on data from manufacture

Machui

Hösel

et al. 2014

Energy Environ. Sci.

177

155

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“…Using manufacturing costs similar to those for present OPV [31,32] and lifetime and performance assumptions from recent LCA studies [56][57][58] the LCUE is found to be prohibitively high ($2.62/kWh) for lifetimes of one year. If manufacturing processes can be improved and lifetimes can be extended to five years the LCUE falls to $0.74/kWh, similar to current technologies.…”

Section: Performance Of Different Pv Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…We examine four PV technologies at different stages of maturity: monocrystalline silicon (c-Si, mature), cadmium telluride thin-film (CdTe, maturing), concentrator PV (CPV, emerging), and organic PV (OPV, pre-commercial). We also investigate future scenarios in which the costs and embedded energy of OPV reduce dramatically [30][31][32] as a result of manufacturing innovations such as roll-to-roll processing [7].…”

Section: Scenario and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Owing to the rapid progress being made in the field of OPV these form a representative estimate of current deployable devices based on the available literature, but with improvements in efficiency, lifetime and stability being reported the performance of the technology is consistently increasing. For this reason we also present the future OPV case, representing the long-term potential of the technology, which uses lifetime and efficiency data predicted for improved devices manufactured at the industrial scale [31,32]. Both the present and future OPV cases consider rollto-roll processed ITO-free devices to reduce the cost and environmental impact [30].…”

Section: Scenario and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Off-grid solar photovoltaic systems for rural electrification and emissions mitigation in India

Sandwell

Chan

Foster

et al. 2016

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

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“…This enables high speed roll to roll (R2R) printing and coating methods for production [15] that could potentially facilitate truly low cost solar cells [16,17]. The layers needed for power conversion is ~100-500 nm, which is why also the energy payback times are potentially as short as a few months [18].…”

Section: Polymer Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optoelectrical Imaging Methods for Organic Photovoltaic Materials and Moduls

Bergqvist¹

2015

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Linköping 2015 IICover image: LED array based photocurrent imaging method for in-line characterization of printed organic solar cells developed during the course of this thesis. Illustration by Cecilia Kornehed.During the course of research underlying this thesis, Jonas Bergqvist was enrolled in Agora Materiae, a multidisciplinary doctoral program at Linköping University, Sweden. III AbstractTo achieve a high living standard for all people on Earth access to low cost energy is essential. The massive burning of fossil fuels must be drastically reduced if we are to avoid large changes of our climate. Solar cells are both technologically mature and have the potential to meet the huge demand for renewable energy in many countries. The prices for silicon solar cells have decreased rapidly during the course of this thesis and are now in grid parity in many countries.However, the potential for even lower energy costs has driven the research on polymer solar cells, a class of thin film solar cells. Polymer solar cells can be produced by roll to roll printing which potentially enables truly low cost solar cells. However, much research and development remain to reach that target.Polymer solar cells consist of a semiconducting composite material sandwiched between two electrodes, of which one is transparent, to let the light energy in to the semiconductor where it is converted to electric energy. The semiconductor comprise an intimate blend of polymer and fullerenes, where the nanostructure of this blend is crucial for the photo current extraction.To reach higher solar cell performance the dominating strategy is development and fine tuning of new polymers. To estimate their potential as solar cell materials their optical response have been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Furthermore, optical simulations have been performed where the direction dependency of the optical response of the transparent electrode material PEDOT:PSS have been accounted for. The simulations show reduced electrode losses for light incident at large oblique angles.Moreover, we have shown that a gentle annealing of the active layer induces a local conformational changes of an amorphous polymer that is beneficial for solar cell performance. The active layer is deposited from solution where the drying kinetics determine the final nanostructure. We have shown that using in-situ photoluminescence phase separation can be detected during the drying process while a reflectance method have been developed to image lateral variations of solvent evaporation rate.Imaging methods are important tools to detect performance variations over the solar cell area. For this purpose an intermodulation based photo current imaging method have been developed to qualitatively differentiate the major photo current loss mechanisms. In addition, a 1D LED-array photo current imaging method have been developed and verified for high speed in-line characterization of printed organic solar modules. IV Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattningFör att uppnå en hög levnadsstandard för...

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A projection of commercial-scale organic photovoltaic module costs

Cited by 111 publications

References 37 publications

Cost analysis of roll-to-roll fabricated ITO free single and tandem organic solar modules based on data from manufacture

Cost analysis of roll-to-roll fabricated ITO free single and tandem organic solar modules based on data from manufacture

Off-grid solar photovoltaic systems for rural electrification and emissions mitigation in India

Optoelectrical Imaging Methods for Organic Photovoltaic Materials and Moduls

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