Comments on: Has Solar Energy Finally Turned The Corner?

By: Making Money By Giving Stuff Away For Free « Open Source Innovation

Making Money By Giving Stuff Away For Free « Open Source Innovation — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:02:09 +0000

[...] In the lead-in to his video, Anderson discusses what the impact would be of having free electricity. This is one of the things that might eventually become free, if companies like Nanosolar succeed. [...]

By: vertigo

vertigo — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 19:24:23 +0000

Here’s a quote from the CEO of Nanosolar, Martin Roscheisen. He told SiliconBeat, “With 19.5% efficiency under standard test conditions, the best CIGS cell is about as efficient as the best polycrystalline-silicon cell.”

–> CIGS can be as efficient (and durable) as conventional solar cells. CIGS cells can be almost 20% efficient — however, this is at laboratory scale and uses fairly expensive process technology. Companies that seek to produce CIGS modules commercially will generally initially shoot for the 12-15% range as the sweetspot that optimally trades off cost and performance. In this range, CIGS modules are still as efficient as the bulk of the silicon modules on the market today. With further R&D, modules as efficient as 20% can then come to market. [Note that the best other thin-film module on the market today, Unisolar's, is 6.2-6.4% efficient...so CIGS modules will be essentially twice as efficient.]

see link http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2005/06/09/nanosolar_miasole_stir_up_solar_cell_market.html

By: Innovation Catalyst

Innovation Catalyst — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:25:24 +0000

@teliczan – I know it is pretty low efficiency, however…Efficiency is not an issue with this at a cost of $.30/watt. With that low cost you can afford to cover a lot of roof space.

By: totaltransformation

totaltransformation — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:01:22 +0000

I’ve got my fingers crossed on this one.

By: teliczan

teliczan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:20:51 +0000

I’m wondering about the efficiency of this product. Here in Michigan we have months of low sunlight. There is a company here called Uni-Solar that has incredibly high efficiency, so high that it even works in the shade.