Realization of the potential of CdTe thin-film PV

The evolution of CdTe thin-film PV over the last 20-30 years has experienced several phases of technological breakthroughs during which the efficiency increased several percentage points over a short time period. Similarly, the past five years have seen a flurry of record cell and module efficiency improvements, driven by innovations at First Solar and General Electric, and this streak continues with First Solar having achieved a record cell efficiency of 22% and a record module of 18.6% (aperture) by the end of 2015.