Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics: Trends and Future Directions

Thin-film solar cell can be cost-effective because of minimal material usage, flexibility, and potential high efficiency. The traditional thin-film solar technologies include amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). This paper reviews the traditional thin-film solar technologies at laboratory and commercial scales, their market shares, and the reliability. It also discusses the emerging thin-film technologies, such as perovskite solar cells, copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), quantum dot, organic photovoltaics (OPV), and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), in view of their rapid advancements and potential future deployments. While a-Si technology faces low efficiency and light-induced degradation, CdTe and CIGS continue to demonstrate strong potential in module efficiency. The future direction of thin-film solar technologies, in particular, applications which relies on longevity, reliability, consumer confidence, and increased investment is also explored.