By Uwe Rau, Director, IEF5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich; Thomas Kirchartz, IEF5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich; Anke Helbig, Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität Stuttgart; Jürgen Werner, Director, Institut für Physikalische Elektronik, Universität Stuttgart; Raymund Schäffler, Product Manager, Technology and R&D, Würth Elektronik Research GmbH
This paper, the third in a series covering cost of ownership (COO) studies for photovoltaics [1], examines the need for metallization of silicon-based solar cells and how it has evolved over the past few years. The technologies and techniques that are being developed for this part of cell manufacturing in the foreseeable future are also discussed. The paper will conclude with a COO case study using the DEK Solar PV3000 as an example.
