Materials Availability Expands the Opportunity for Large-Scale Photovoltaics Deployment

Abstract

Solar photovoltaics have great promise for a low-carbon future but remain expensive relative to other technologies. Greatly increased penetration of photovoltaics into global energy markets requires an expansion in attention from designs of high-performance to those that can deliver significantly lower cost per kilowatt-hour. To evaluate a new set of technical and economic performance targets, we examine material extraction costs and supply constraints for 23 promising semiconducting materials. Twelve composite materials systems were found to have the capacity to meet or exceed the annual worldwide electricity consumption of 17,000 TWh, of which nine have the potential for a significant cost reduction over crystalline silicon. We identify a large material extraction cost (cents/watt) gap between leading thin film materials and a number of unconventional solar cell candidates including FeS2, CuO, and Zn3P2. We find that devices performing below 10% power conversion efficiencies deliverthe same lifetime energy output as those above 20% when a 3/4 material reduction is achieved. Here, we develop a roadmap emphasizing low-cost alternatives that could become a dominant new approach for photovoltaics research and deployment.

Quasiparticle band structures and interface physics of SnS and GeS

“…1 These materials should also be non-toxic to avoid adverse environmental effects. It is partially for these reasons that SnS has attracted recent interest as absorber material in a photovoltaic device.…”

Strategic Orientation to Solar Energy Productionand Long Term Financial Benefits

“…It is developed a roadmap emphasizing low-cost alternatives that could become a dominant new approach for photovoltaic materials research and deployment, [13]. Since the photovoltaic (PV) introduction in the mid 1950s, solar cells have experienced an incredible development.…”

“…As a result, the cumulative installed capacity at the end of 2012 reached the electric power of 2.42 GW. The largest part of the new plant (700 MW) was installed in Spain (in the areas of Andalusia and Ekstramadura) thanks to new incentive tariffs, [13].…”

Investment and employment from large-scale photovoltaics up to 2050

“…PV has no moving parts, a life expectancy between 30 and 40 years (EC 2009), maintenance costs of less than 1 ¢/ kWh , and it does not need water for operation-a big advantage in desert climates. The raw material for most PV panels (Wadia et al 2009), silicon, is the second most abundant mineral in the upper earth crust.…”