Is silica sand usable for photovoltaic cells – solar cells – in scarce supply?
Today, thin-film PV modules that use materials such as amorphous silicon (a-Si); cadmium telluride (CdTe); or copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) are attracting much attention and are growing at an impressive rate, in part due to the shortage of silicon and high manufacturing costs associated with crystalline silicon cells. With the help of lower manufacturing costs and its versatility, thin film technology has ignited the competition with conventional crystalline silicon technology over the past couple of years. However, thin film modules are typically much less efficient than crystalline silicon modules with 7 to 10 percent efficiency compared to silicon’s average 15 percent efficiency.
