Siva Power claims 18.8% lab CIGS efficiency

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

US-based start-up, Siva Power formerly Solexant, has reported a CIGS cell efficiency of 18.8% that it claims was verified by NREL in December 2013.

The company did provide further details on the cell dimensions or specifications, but touted that it had come close to equalling record cell efficiencies previously reported by the US NREL, the Swiss laboratory, EMPA and ZSW in Germany.

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

Siva Power noted that it employs a three-stage co-evaporation process that was also used for the majority of previous CIGS cell records.

Charlie Gay joins Siva

The company also announced that former head of Applied Materials PV operations and a former NREL director, Charlie Gay, had agreed to join its Technical Advisory Board.

“I am honoured to join such an experienced team with Beck, Noufi, and Benner,” said Dr. Gay.  “Collectively, they represent one of the most experienced groups ever assembled for CIGS technology and high volume manufacturing.”

Siva Power is targeting mass production of CIGS thin-film modules with sub-US$0.40 per watt costs.

Update
 
Markus Beck, CTO of Siva, told Eric Wesoff from Greentechmedia (GTM) that the verified CIGS solar cell was a 0.5cm2 sample.
 
To prove its production scale capabilities a <0.002mm thin obsorber layer was deposited, generating a cell with 11 millivolts, GTM reported. A fill factor of 79% was claimed by Siva. 

Read Next

August 15, 2025
Australia’s transmission line infrastructure project HumeLink is now open for connection to solar, wind, and energy storage facilities.
August 15, 2025
US solar manufacturer T1 Energy has signed a deal to buy US-made polysilicon and wafers from ceramics and glass producer Corning.
August 15, 2025
US tracker manufacturer FTC Solar has launched a new single-axis tracker model built for extreme wind regions. 
Premium
August 15, 2025
PV Talk: AIKO's chief scientist, Yongqian Wang, tells PV Tech Premium that copper is now a “highly suitable” alternative to silver.
August 15, 2025
Indian domestic solar module manufacturing capacity has exceeded 100GW, up from just 2.3GW in 2014, according to minister Pralhad Joshi.
August 15, 2025
Gentari Renewables has broken ground on its 243MWp Maryvale solar-plus-storage site in New South Wales, Australia.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines