Advanced Encapsulation Technology for Reduced Costs, High Durability and Significantly Improved Manufacturability

A recent detailed analysis was performed by DOE and NREL [1] that identified avenues needed to lower solar LCOE. Two key areas are identified: reduce module costs and improved module reliably and lifetime. The NREL/DOE study found that for both crystalline silicon (c-Si) and thin film PV, the encapsulation and module assembly costs were the largest single cost category for manufacturing. The capital equipment (cap-ex) costs for the module assembly are also shown to be high. Current module designs have opportunities for reliably improvements. Studies of fielded modules by NREL have shown degradation of over 1.8%/yr. Reducing degradation to 0.2%/yr. while increasing module lifetime will facilitate further cost reductions. Supported by the US Dept. of Energy's PVRD program, Colorado State University's Next Generation PV Center is developing a new module architecture and associated manufacturing processes to reduce costs and improve reliably.