Thin film solar panels are fast gaining popularity due to their flexibility. While solar panel films have been in existence since the late 20th century, the technology was not as much effective as they are today. The ability to combine different voltaic materials onto a single film is proving competitive to the traditional silicon-cell films. This section evaluates the various aspects of film solar panels in relation to their potential for future use.
Film solar panels are created by depositing a thin semiconductor material on a plastic, glass, or metal foil substrate. Glass is the most preferable material due to its relatively low cost but it is not as flexible as the other materials. Several photo-voltaic materials are used in the manufacture of thin film solar panels, including cadmium telluride, amorphous silicon, and copper indium gallium di-selenide.
Of the three materials, cadmium telluride on glass is the most preferred configuration due to its efficiency. In a laboratory study conducted in 2014, cadmium telluride was found to have the highest ratio of energy conversion to implementation cost. Consequently, the material has the shortest payback time on the cost of purchase and installation. Cadmium telluride also has the lowest carbon footprint.
Copper indium gallium selenide has also proven to be a viable alternative to silicon photo-voltaic cell solar panels. The material has recorded 14 percent efficiency in the field but studies to improve its performance are ongoing. Currently, the only drawback is the high cost required to manufacture CIGS. Gallium Arsenide is also a promising material for use in solar panel films but its cost does not make economic sense.
With the increasing use of electronic devices, film solar panels have a very high prospective. For instance, they can easily be incorporated on special clothing to charge portable electronics. Solar films also find application in street lighting since they easily fit on curved surfaces. Here three are reasons why film solar panels are the technology of the future.
1. They are less affected by the environment: Film solar panels have higher outputs under shady conditions as compared to traditional silicon panels. This eliminates the need for solar tracking in sensitive applications, thus reducing elimination cost.
2. They are highly flexible: Flexibility is the major distinguishing feature for film panels, greatly improving their flexibility in areas where traditional configurations proved ineffective. For instance, solar films are more applicable to solar-powered automobiles compared to traditional configurations.
3. Aesthetics: for people who are worried about the appearance of their homes, film solar panels adequately address the problem. This is because film panels are sprayed on a surface as opposed to fixing them piece by piece. The final implementation is so homogeneous that it cannot be singled out of the final product.
