Salford team hails spluttering thin film solar breakthrough: … hopefully lower the cost of thin film

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2232713/salford-team-hails-thin-film

Salford team hails spluttering thin film solar breakthrough

Researchers adapting technique used by glass manufacturers to hopefully lower the cost of thin film solar cell production

James Murray, BusinessGreen, 16 Dec 2008

A team of researchers at Salford University claim to have identified a technique for manufacturing thin film solar cells that promises to slash costs and enhance reliability for the emerging industry.

The team, led by Professor Arthur Hill of the University’s Institute for Materials Research, has adapted a material deposition technique known as magnetron spluttering and widely used by the glass industry to create Copper Indium Diselenide (CIS) and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells.

The team has now secured an additional year's funding from the Joule Centre to continue its research on the process in partnership with North West-based manufacturer General Vacuum.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, Professor Hill said that CIS and CIGS solar cells offered a potentially attractive alternative to silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells as they require less material to manufacture and tend to boast a good ability to both absorb solar power and withstand radiation.

…

[BrklynLiberal]

1. YAY!

[amerikat]

2. Am I missing something here ? This is very old technology.

Not worthy of a 2008 byline.:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

I mean no offense, but please explain.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. More Information - Press Release

http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/details/809

News

Salford research to radically improve solar cells

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

A new technique which could substantially improve the efficiency, cost effectiveness and durability of thin film solar cell panels is being worked on by University of Salford scientists.

Professor Arthur Hill and his team from the University's http://www.imr.salford.ac.uk/">Institute for Materials Research within the http://www.cse.salford.ac.uk/">School of Computing Science & Engineering have received one year's funding from the http://www.joulecentre.org/">Joule Centre to work on a method of laying down a more efficient solar cell material on a scale suitable for mass production.

There are problems associated with the large scale deposition of the new, highly efficient, Copper Indium diselenide (CIS) in thin film form, and that is what the Salford research aims to solve.

The University team will be working in partnership with locally based company, http://www.bobstgroup.com/Global/Corporate/en/Tradenames/GENERAL/">General Vacuum.

Professor Hill said: "There are many benefits from being able to use CIS which could revolutionise the way in which we use solar power. At the moment the main obstacle to being able to mass produce CIS solar cells is a method to deposit thin films of the substance on an industrial scale.

"Following our initial very positive results using a method called PDMS, which is already used in the coated glass manufacturing industry, we are hopeful of being able to create a cost-effective and improved solar cell."

The applications for the new cells are varied and, due to CIS's high resistance to radiation, they would be ideal for use on earth or in space. The cells can absorb 99% of sunlight which hits them and theoretically can convert more than 20% of this into useful electrical power.

Professor Hill concluded: "In many parts of the world solar cell modules are proving to be a solution to the basic problem of energy supply. This research could represent a significant step-change in the way in which people are able to generate electricity from the sun."

http://www.rgc.salford.ac.uk/cms/news/article/index.php?id=111

[TheWraith]

4. Once again, I encourage distrust of any "breakthrough" which "promises" improvement.

A lot of these things never come out of the lab, or if they do they do so at a cost far higher than they originally anticipated.

When a scientist says "We're ready to go into production," then I'll pay attention.