Amorphous Silicon Solar Panels

Amorphous silicon (a-Si or a-Si:H) solar cells belong to the category of

silicon thin-flm, where one or several layers of photovoltaic material
are deposited onto a substrate
Some types of thin-flm solar cells have a huge potential !hese
technologies are e"pected to grow rapidly in the coming years as they
mature #n $%&&, amorphous silicon solar cells represented about '( of
mar)et
!he word *amorphous+ literally means shapeless !he silicon material
is not structured or crystali,ed on a molecular level, as many other
types of silicon-based solar cells are
-ost poc)et calculators are powered by thin flm solar cell made out of
amorphous silicon .or a long time, the low power output of amorphous
silicon solar cells limited their use to small applications only
!his problem is partially solved by *stac)ing+ several amorphous solar
cells on top of each other, which increases their performance and
ma)es them more space-e/cient
#n laboratory conditions, scientists have pushed e/ciency rates to
&$0( !he e/ciency of amorphous silicon solar cells that are
manufactured in high-volume processes ranges from 1( to 2(
3ereli)on set the world record for stable amorphous solar cells to
above &%( in $%%2
Advantages
4e5uires much less silicon Amorphous silicon is a direct-bandgap
material, and therefore only re5uire about &( of the silicon that
would6ve been used to produce a crystalline-silicon based solar cell
!he substrates can be made out of ine"pensive materials such as
glass, stainless steel and plastic
!heses are the two ma7or reasons why amorphous silicon solar cells
have a great potential to one day become cheaper than mono- and
polycrystalline solar cells
8an be made 9e"ible and lightweight A 9e"ible thin-flm module
enables us be much more creative when it comes to applications !hey
can be placed on curved surfaces and will probably in the future be
incorporated into clothing: Strength and 9e"ibility is determined by the
surfaces or substrates the thin flm solar cells are attached to
!hin-flm solar cells perform relatively well under poor lighting
conditions and are not a;ected as much by shading issues
Amorphous silicon can be deposited onto substrates at temperatures
below '%%<8, which ma)es the technology a good candidate for
9e"ible substrates and roll-to-roll manufacturing techni5ues
Disdvantages
Amorphous thin-flm solar cells have lower e/ciency rates !he
technology is new, and e/ciency rates are thought to increase with
technological brea)throughs in the near future
!hin-flm solar panels tend to degrade faster and not last as long as
mono- and polycrystalline solar panels
=ou would have to cover a larger surface with amorphous silicon solar
panels than crystalline-based solar panels for an e5ual output of
electrical power