First Solar hits 21.0% thin-film PV record

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

US thin-film manufacturer First Solar has achieved a 21.0% conversion rate in a cadmium-telluride (CdTe) PV cell, a new record.

Certified at the Newport Corporation’s Technology and Applications Center PV Lab, the cell beats First Solar's own previous CdTe record set in February 2014 of 20.4% and surpasses the 20.9% CIGS thin-film record held by Japan’s Solar Frontier.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

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

The milestone also sets an all-time record for single-junction thin-film technologies, and has already been incorporated into the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s ‘Best Research Cell Efficiencies’ chart.

First Solar said the cell had been built at its factory and R&D centre in Perrysburg, Ohio using processes and materials designed for commercial-scale manufacturing, suggesting the company is looking for a rapid incorporation of the new technology into its production lines.

Raffi Garabedian, First Solar's chief technology officer, said: “Our Advanced Research team continues to deliver extraordinary results by creating practical devices capable of commercial-scale production. Not only have we have now demonstrated the highest single junction thin film cell on record, but just as important, our record cells are based on the same scalable manufacturing processes and commodity materials that we have proven through years of volume production.”

The company said it had made strides in recent months in driving up the average efficiency of its production modules to 14% in Q2 2014, up from 13.5% at the start of the year.

It said the new record put in on course to reach a target set earlier this year of reaching a 22% cell conversion efficiency rate by the end of 2015.

Read Next

February 13, 2025
A report from CEA says that the impact of the new Republican administration on the provisions under the IRA remains “uncertain”.
February 13, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturers LONGi and Jinko Solar, along with Indian PV manufacturer Waaree Energies, have been named in a series of patent disputes filed in China and the US.
February 13, 2025
The announcement comes just days after the Trump administration announced plans for a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports.
February 13, 2025
Huasun has signed a deal to supply more than 3GW of heterojunction technology (HJT) modules to projects owned by the Hongyang Group.
Premium
February 13, 2025
PV Talk: Solargis CEO Marcel Suri tells PV Tech Premium how more sophisticated data has made solar assets more 'agile'.
February 13, 2025
Australia’s Clean Energy Council said 2024 was the best year for renewable energy investment since 2018, with AU$9 billion committed.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 17, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
February 19, 2025
Tokyo, Japan
Solar Media Events
March 11, 2025
Frankfurt, Germany