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advantages and disadvantages of solar film cells
by：Top-In
2020-07-29
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about solar films, also known as flexible or foldable solar panels.
This is an emerging technology that can revolutionize renewable energy.
The most commonly used thin-film solar energy is CIGS (
Copper-indium-gallium (di)selenide)
Technology or amorphous silicon, much cheaper and easier to make than the standard solar crystal panels we \'ve seen in the past.
Let\'s break down the different strengths and weaknesses of this exciting new technology.
Advantages: * cost.
Flexible solar power is leading the way to get cheap energy from the sun.
The cost of the technology is falling rapidly, and these costs will continue to decline as investment in R & D. * Application.
At present, the biggest advantage of thin film solar energy is its many application options.
Unlike traditional panels, flexible panels can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces.
In addition to the traditional roof-mounted design, these batteries are molded into cars, backpacks, clothing and even windows.
Some companies even integrate batteries into things like roof tiles and siding, so there will be solar energy in your house, not just solar.
* Technological progress.
Many big companies, such as Shell, Honda and nano-solar, are putting all their research efforts behind thin-film solar.
This means that the technology will be greatly improved over time, and some progress has been brought to the market. * Less defects.
Because the manufacturing process is relatively simple, there are often fewer defects.
The highly technical method of manufacturing traditional solar panels, sometimes compared to computer chip manufacturing, requires a lot of detailed welding.
In history, the traditional panel encountered a lot of warranty problems.
This is not the case with solar films.
This process is closer to printing, so there are fewer defects.
* Less voltage drop.
Electricity in most applications flows better when cooling.
When thin-film solar cells heat up, they tend to have a lower voltage than conventional panels.
* Low performance-light.
Many thin solar panels are low-powered.
Light and shadow. * Durability.
Since the technology is fairly new, there are some questions about how long these cells will last. But many early-
The Adopters reported that their cells lasted more than 15 years.
These batteries do not require the glass and aluminum housing of conventional batteries, as the materials inside them are flexible and plastic and not as brittle as crystalline silicon.
This means that they may suffer more abuse for a longer period of time.
Disadvantages: * efficiency problem.
The efficiency of these batteries from 50%-
70% behind traditional crystal cells
However, this is changing rapidly.
In 2005, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory created a world record.
The efficiency of the CIGS battery is 9%.
This means 19.
9% of the total energy that goes down to the battery is converted into electricity.
This is close to the world record for 24 ordinary solar panels. 7%. * Space Needed.
With the efficiency currently available, you will need about 50% of the space to use thin-film solar energy to generate the same power as conventional solar installations.
* Heat preservation.
Because thin-film solar energy is usually applied directly to the surface, they can keep more sound.
Conventional panels are usually fitted with brackets, which means there is space between the panel and the supporting surface, allowing air to cool the panel.
Thin film solar energy can retain more heat, creating a balance between this and its benefits of better performance at higher temperatures.
This is an emerging technology that can revolutionize renewable energy.
The most commonly used thin-film solar energy is CIGS (
Copper-indium-gallium (di)selenide)
Technology or amorphous silicon, much cheaper and easier to make than the standard solar crystal panels we \'ve seen in the past.
Let\'s break down the different strengths and weaknesses of this exciting new technology.
Advantages: * cost.
Flexible solar power is leading the way to get cheap energy from the sun.
The cost of the technology is falling rapidly, and these costs will continue to decline as investment in R & D. * Application.
At present, the biggest advantage of thin film solar energy is its many application options.
Unlike traditional panels, flexible panels can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces.
In addition to the traditional roof-mounted design, these batteries are molded into cars, backpacks, clothing and even windows.
Some companies even integrate batteries into things like roof tiles and siding, so there will be solar energy in your house, not just solar.
* Technological progress.
Many big companies, such as Shell, Honda and nano-solar, are putting all their research efforts behind thin-film solar.
This means that the technology will be greatly improved over time, and some progress has been brought to the market. * Less defects.
Because the manufacturing process is relatively simple, there are often fewer defects.
The highly technical method of manufacturing traditional solar panels, sometimes compared to computer chip manufacturing, requires a lot of detailed welding.
In history, the traditional panel encountered a lot of warranty problems.
This is not the case with solar films.
This process is closer to printing, so there are fewer defects.
* Less voltage drop.
Electricity in most applications flows better when cooling.
When thin-film solar cells heat up, they tend to have a lower voltage than conventional panels.
* Low performance-light.
Many thin solar panels are low-powered.
Light and shadow. * Durability.
Since the technology is fairly new, there are some questions about how long these cells will last. But many early-
The Adopters reported that their cells lasted more than 15 years.
These batteries do not require the glass and aluminum housing of conventional batteries, as the materials inside them are flexible and plastic and not as brittle as crystalline silicon.
This means that they may suffer more abuse for a longer period of time.
Disadvantages: * efficiency problem.
The efficiency of these batteries from 50%-
70% behind traditional crystal cells
However, this is changing rapidly.
In 2005, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory created a world record.
The efficiency of the CIGS battery is 9%.
This means 19.
9% of the total energy that goes down to the battery is converted into electricity.
This is close to the world record for 24 ordinary solar panels. 7%. * Space Needed.
With the efficiency currently available, you will need about 50% of the space to use thin-film solar energy to generate the same power as conventional solar installations.
* Heat preservation.
Because thin-film solar energy is usually applied directly to the surface, they can keep more sound.
Conventional panels are usually fitted with brackets, which means there is space between the panel and the supporting surface, allowing air to cool the panel.
Thin film solar energy can retain more heat, creating a balance between this and its benefits of better performance at higher temperatures.
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