The Future of CIGS Technology in Solar Power

The copper indium Gallium selenium (CIGS) thin film solar cell is a chalcopyrite crystalline thin film solar cell with the best ratio of Cu (copper), In (indium), Ga (gallium) and Se (selenium). It is the key technology to compose the panel. CIGS solar cells have gradually become an important development direction in the solar cell industry due to the advantages of thin film solar cells, such as strong light absorption capacity, good power generation stability and short energy recovery cycle. Cigs solar cells can compete with traditional crystalline silicon solar cells.

Factor analysis of copper indium Gallium selenium thin film solar cell industry in the next 5 years

I. Favorable factors

(1) The application prospect is very broad

Copper indium gallium selenium thin film solar cells are internationally known as "promising new thin film solar cells in the next era", thin film battery material consumption, low energy consumption, component production can be completed in a workshop, the cost advantage is obvious. In view of the development momentum of thin-film batteries in recent years, copper indium gallium selenium is the only thin-film battery that is growing. This battery has a soft and uniform black appearance, which is an ideal choice for places with high appearance requirements, such as glass curtain walls of large buildings. In addition, with the promotion of clean energy, CIGS thin film can also be applied to mobile power stations, wearable devices, new energy vehicles, smart cities and other aspects in the future. Besides, distributed photovoltaic applications such as photovoltaic building integration will have a broader application prospect in the future.

(2) CIGS thin film solar cells have excellent performance

First, the light absorption capacity is strong. CIGS solar cells are composed of chalcopyrite crystals with the best proportion of copper, indium, gallium and selenium as the absorption layer, which can absorb a wide range of spectral wavelengths and can absorb photoelectricity for the longest time in a day. Compared with crystalline silicon solar cells of the same watt-level, CMGS thin film solar cells can generate more than 20% of the total electricity every day.

Second, the power generation stability is good. CIGS solar cells use internal connection mechanism, even after a long time of sunlight exposure will not exist hot spot phenomenon or reduce the power generation, it has no photoattenuation characteristics, high power generation stability and low maintenance costs. In addition, copper indium gallium selenium thin film solar cells have the advantages of low production cost, small pollution and high photoelectric conversion efficiency.

As is known to all, solar cells are a good renewable energy technology, which can solve the energy needs of human beings without causing environmental pollution, but the production of solar cells itself also needs to consume a certain amount of energy. To evaluate whether a renewable energy installation is truly environmentally friendly, in addition to the conversion efficiency, the more important thing is how long it takes to use the renewable energy generated by the installation to equal the total amount of energy consumed at the time of production, known as the energy recycling cycle. According to the study of the United States Energy Administration, the recycling period of crystalline silicon solar cells is 2-4 years, and that of thin film solar cells is 1-2 years, taking solar installations with a 30-year life as an example. In other words, every solar power system can enjoy a truly clean period of 26 to 29 years, and CIGS solar is the best choice.

II. Unfavorable factors

(1) The manufacturing process is complex and the technical requirements are high

Copper indium gallium selenium solar cell is a new type of solar cell developed in the late 1980s. Its typical structure is multilayer structure, including metal gate electrode AI, window layer n+-ZnO, heterogeneous junction N-type layer i-ZnO, buffer layer or transition layer CdS, light absorption layer CMGS, back electrode Mo, glass substrate, etc. As the absorption layer, CIGS is the key material of CIGS thin film solar cells. However, because CGS is composed of four elements, it is sensitive to the element ratio, and the existence of multiple lattice structure, multi-layer interface structure, defects and impurities increases the difficulty of preparation technology. Thin film solar cell production requires high precision and stability of equipment, and the equipment is complex and expensive, especially the key equipment, is up to tens of millions of dollars, has been monopolized by European, American and Japanese enterprises for a long time, domestic industrialization bottleneck is obvious, its large-scale industrial production and preparation technology still needs to be broken through.

2. There is a significant gap at home and abroad

In recent years, the Chinese government has been the research and development of solar energy as an important part of the renewable energy technology has been included in the national science and technology plan, in order to promote the development of Chinese solar technology and industry. However, compared with the developed countries in the world, the research of copper indium gallium selenium solar cells in China started late, and the research and application in this field are still relatively backward in intensity and scale. Although domestic scientific research institutions continue to carry out CIS, CIGS thin film solar cell preparation process research work, but the overall level of the gap with foreign countries is very large. China should take the demand for technological innovation as the link, integrate the resources of industry, universities and research institutes, and strengthen the research and independent innovation of the common core basic technology of high-tech industry such as CIGS thin film solar cells.