MiaSole Commercial Scale Thin-Film Solar Modules Reach 13.8 Percent Efficiency
Source/Type: News - Staff reports

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

June 14, 2010... Miasole reports that that the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) independently confirmed the 13.8 percent efficiency of its copper indium gallium diselenide large area production modules (one square meter in size). The modules are designed for utilities and independent power producers in industrial scale deployments such as large-scale rooftop and ground mount installations. Miasole asserts that the new high efficiency will allow it to offer solar modules with the efficiency of polysilicon and the lower manufacturing costs of thin-film modules.

The company utilizes a unique manufacturing process which lays CIGS on a flexible stainless steel substrate in a continuous sputtering process.  In fact, MiaSole boasts that it is the only thin-film solar company that uses sputtering every step of the way for coating the solar modules, thereby reducing manufacturing time and costs of production.

Dr. Joseph Laia, CEO of MiaSole stated, "The modules that we ship in 2011 will have efficiencies greater than 13%. The only reason that we are not shipping these modules today is that we are awaiting the completion of our UL certifications."

Dr. Ryne Raffaelle, Director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at NREL said, "This demonstration is a tremendous step forward in closing the gap between the potential of CIGS results, and what actually can be achieved in a large area production module." The company says it will ship 6.5MW in the first half of this year, and it expects to ship a total of 22MW in 2010.

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