Cost effectiveness of high efficiency cell processes as applied to cast polycrystalline silicon

Recent research programs have been extremely successful at improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. These programs can be used as a guide to select improved processes and materials for commercial manufacturing. Recent high-efficiency work to determine which processes may be cost-effectively applied to cast polycrystalline silicon wafers is reviewed. The methodology is based on a full life-cycle costing to determine the effect of improved cell efficiency on the ultimate cost to the customer of the photovoltaic (PV)-produced electricity. The same costing model (SAMICS) has been applied to each of the proposed process sequences to obtain an estimate of the manufacturing cost of modules produced by each technology. The costs are based on building stand-alone 10 MW/yr factories from casting through final module assembly and test. >