DelSolar is making a move outside of its comfort zone and starting the process to develop compound thin-film solar cells with the help of IBM. The two companies are working towards improving the next-generation thin-film technology and bringing it into commercial production with hopes of making it potentially available for use in vaulted roof tops, curved glass curtain walls, other non-flat BIPV application or extended applications such as curtains or shutters.
“This agreement is a step in the effort to create efficient solar cells using earth-abundant materials with novel processes,” said T.C. Chen, VP of science and technology IBM Research. “We already have an excellent collaboration with Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Company for developing manufacturing tooling and the chemistries required for this technology. Recently IBM demonstrated record solar cell efficiencies using a copper zinc tin sulfur selenide (CZTS) material. This new collaboration between DelSolar, TOK, and IBM now puts us firmly on the path to commercially viable technologies and processes for solar cells that could bring us closer to grid parity.”
Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis
Photovoltaics International is now included.
- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
- Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
- Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
DelSolar and IBM look towards developing a solar cell with a larger spectrum sensitivity, lower working irradiance, more extensive temperature latitude and higher net power output. Additionally, the companies are calling upon the use of earth-based components for the technology, which they feel will have a longer future than the future availability for larger volumes of cadmium or other like materials.
