Thin Film Solar Panels & Solar Cells Facts
Solar Power Ratings & Solar Energy Information
Jan 6, 2009
The United Solar Ovonic home page contains a “About United Solar Ovonic” author anonymous undated information link with facts about their thin film solar panels, which have three layer laminates, and can be glued onto building materials on a roof. The page claims their thin film panels are “...ideally suited for cost-effective solar roofing solutions...” By entering “thin film solar panels” into search engines the consumer can access information from other companies who manufacture this product.
The United Solar Ovonic Technology and Engineering link, on their home page, provides readers with information about how thin film solar panels are made. The author anonymous undated information on this page states that crystalline or polycrystalline silicon is used in manufacturing thin film solar panels. The corporation also states “...thin film technology offers an interesting opportunity to reduce materials cost of the solar cells...because a-Si alloy [silicon] absorbs light more efficiently...” The page contains the claim “We hold the current world records for conversion efficiency...as measured by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.”
IEC Solar Panels Standards Information
The undated author anonymous home page of The International Electro-technical Commission (IEC) provides information about their mission. “...global organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. These serve as a basis for national standardization...” IEC claims to embrace solar cell roofing and all electrical technologies including “...electromagnetic compatibility, measurement and performance, dependability, design and development, safety and the environment.”
The IEC home page states that it is involved in photovoltaic systems standardization for conversion of solar cell energy into electrical energy. According to the information on this page the standard applies to “...all the elements in the entire photovoltaic energy system. Consumers interested in purchasing solar panels or thin film solar can check specifications to determine if the supplier’s product contains the IEC endorsement.
UL Photovoltaic Cells & Panels Standards Information
The Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) home page website contains an “Our Mission” link to a PDF author anonymous article, dated October, 08, 2008, titled Our Mission: Working For A Safer World Since 1894. The subtitle, UL Powers Up to Evaluate Photovoltaic Products, states “...this (mission) includes thin-film PV, concentrated solar power and other cell technologies...[provide] standard for safety for flat plate photovoltaic modules and panels.” Consumers can check solar products to determine if they contain the UL safety logo.
Solar Cell Roofing
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review website home page contains an article, dated September 12,2007, by Kevin Bullis, titled Making Cheaper Solar Cells. The author tells about Heliovolt Corporation developing an advanced type of thin-film solar cell which may increase performance and reduce electrical costs over what is currently available. The article states the company “...is one of several start-ups developing a type of thin-film solar cells....with a micrometers-thick layer of a copper-indium-gallium selenide semiconductor (CIGS). The article goes on to state that “...generating one watt of electricity [with thin film silicon cells] requires about 80 cents’ worth of silicon, but it [our technology] requires a penny’s worth of a semiconductor [CIGS] used in a thin-film cell...”
According to the environmental science information, presented in this article, constant research for solar cell improvements are producing solar cells with materials other than silicon. Consumers can check to see if home solar panels and systems on the market have IEC and UL standards endorsements. Potential buyers of thin film solar cells can now compare CIGS & other construction methods with conventional silicon solar cells and solar power panels.
 |
