Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaics: Trends and Future Directions

Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies address crucial challenges in solar energy applications, including scalability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. This paper reviews critically, thin-film technologies such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). It also discusses emerging technologies, including perovskites, copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), quantum dots (QDs), organic photovoltaics (OPV), and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Among these, CdTe and CIGS currently dominate commercial viability, achieving laboratory-scale efficiencies of 23.1% and 23.6%, respectively. Perovskites have notably advanced, reaching a laboratory efficiency of 26.7%. Thin-film PV technologies significantly reduce material use and manufacturing costs, offering distinct advantages such as flexibility and lightweight structures, thereby enabling diverse applications from building-integrated systems to portable electronic devices. Despite these benefits, broader adoption remains limited by challenges including long-term stability, toxicity concerns, and material scarcity. Addressing these challenges through advancements in tandem architectures, improved encapsulation strategies, and sustainable material sourcing is essential for thin-film PV technologies to substantially contribute to the global renewable energy transition.