Economical and operational issues for CIGS in the future PV panorama

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 146; pp. 85 - 93
• Main Author: Bermudez, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2017; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Business competition; Competitiveness; Copper indium gallium selenides; Economic; Economic conditions; Efficiency; Emerging markets; Fabrication; Flexible manufacturing systems; Global marketing; Industrial development; Innovations; Manufacturers; Manufacturing; Manufacturing industry; Modules; Photovoltaic; Production costs; Reliability; Solar energy; Technology; Thin film; Industrial development; Photovoltaic; Economic; Thin film
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2017.02.023

•Thin film are facing a strong competitive environment due to c-Si low costs.•Last year’s overcapacity panorama has demonstrated very harmful for PV manufacturers.•Thin film have intrinsic advantages leading to new advanced solutions.•An industrial line targeting enough flexibility is depicted.•Innovation in products, markets, and financial issues could be a key advantage for thin film technologies.Due to the low costs of multi-crystalline Si ($0,.6/Wp, in average, at present and $0,.38/Wp projected in 2018) Cu(InGa)(Se, S)2 (CIGS) thin film are facing a competitive environment where the product needs to be aligned with efficiency, reliability and fabrication costs of main stream modules.•Moreover, into the final quarter of 2016, the PV industry is again confronted to an overcapacity panorama which has demonstrated very harmful for those manufacturers and module producers that have not been able to follow the costs reduction learning costs together with increasing in efficiency and product reliability.•However, this could even not be enough and without innovation leading to new advanced solutions to the stablished market and/or create new ones, the survival of the technology is compromised. Due to the low costs of multi-crystalline Si ($0.6/Wp present average, and $0.38/Wp projected by 2018), Cu(InGa)(Se, S)2 (CIGS) thin film is facing a competitive environment as product needs to be aligned in efficiency, reliability and fabrication costs with main stream modules. Moreover, into the final quarter of 2016, the PV industry has been again confronted to an overcapacity panorama, which has demonstrated very harmful for manufacturers and module producers that have not been able to follow the costs reduction learning curve together with increasing in efficiency and product reliability. However, just follow the leader could not be enough, and without innovations leading to new advanced solutions to the stablished market and/or create new ones, the survival of the technology is compromised. In this paper, an approach to the present and a projection of near future competitiveness of CIGS respect to the expected performances in conventional markets is provided. For this efficiency and manufacturing issues related with costs assumptions and bankability are discussed. An example of an industrial line targeting enough flexibility to address present and future emerging markets need is discussed. The main aim is give clues to CIGS manufacturers to develop a competitive product within the future PV panorama and to innovate not only in materials and product, but also in market and business models. At this step, innovation in products, markets, and financial issues seem mandatory for the technology to survive in a very competitive growing global market, and for this flexible manufacturing facilities with reduced costs need to be developed.