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Abstract:
ZSW produces a thin-film solar cell with 20.1 percent efficiency

Stuttgart solar researchers bring a world record

Stuttgart, Germany | Posted on April 30th, 2010

With an efficiency of 20.1 percent, scientists at the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW) have set a new world record for thin-film solar cells. The record-breaking solar cell, made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium - or CIGS for short - was produced in the ZSW research laboratory in Stuttgart. This breakthrough in materials development should significantly improve the cost-effectiveness of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics over the medium term. With this success the Baden-Württemberg researchers have brought a world record to Germany: The US research institute NREL
has held this record for 16 years.

"This record is for thin-film technology in general and not just CIGS solar cells," says Dr. Michael Powalla, Member of the Board and Head of the Photovoltaics Division at ZSW. "It is the result of continuous systematic research which has been supported for years by the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics and the European Community. A major factor in achieving this top position was the close cooperation between basic research at the university, applied research
at the ZSW, and production development at our industrial partner Würth Solar."

The area of the world record cell is 0.5 square centimetres. The solar cell was produced in a CIGS laboratory coating plant using a modified co-evaporation process, which in principle can be scaled up to a commercial production process. The solar cell consists of the semiconducting CIGS layer and contact layers. It has a total thickness of only four thousandths of a millimetre. The electrical and optical properties must be exactly matched when manufacturing the cell - a process that is extremely difficult to master. The Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany has confirmed the new results.

Higher efficiencies improve the electrical power output and thus the financial returns delivered by photovoltaic systems. "Further up-scaling for industrial application is the next development step," says Michael Powalla. However, it would take a while before the increased efficiency
of CIGS solar cells can be commercially utilised.

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About Zentrum für Sonnenenergieund
The ZSW is an international leader in the development of CIGS thin-film modules. Together with the company Würth Solar, the institute has advanced this technology to enable industrial production. In 2006, Würth Solar launched the world's first mass production of CIGS solar modules in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. It now achieves a capacity of 30 megawatts per year. The ZSW is the research and development partner of Würth Solar.

The ZSW is one of the most renowned German research institutes in the fields of photovoltaics, energy systems analysis, renewable fuels, battery technology, and fuel cells. Around 170 scientists, engineers, and technicians are currently employed at its three facilities in Stuttgart, Ulm, and Widderstall. They generate an annual turnover of 22 million euros.

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Contacts:
Zentrum für Sonnenenergieund
Wasserstoff-Forschung
Baden-Württemberg (ZSW)
Standort Stuttgart:
Industriestr. 6, 70565 Stuttgart

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