German solar company Calyxo TS Solar GmbH reports that new testing shows its thin-film solar module has reached the same degree of efficiency as crystalline modules. The European market leader from Bitterfeld-Wolfen now produces thin film modules with an efficiency level of 16.5 percent, which exceeds the average ofRead More

TS Solar Calyxo GmbH has again significantly increased the efficiency of its thin-film solar modules. The European market leader from Bitterfeld-Wolfen improved the output of its modules by around 20 percent from an average of 90 watts to 111 watts per module. The efficiency of the modules reads now 15.4Read More

A new study commissioned by thin-film solar provider Midsummer shows that its proprietary flexible CIGS thin film solar module manufacturing process might be more environmentally friendly than other solar module production processes. The recent study by Swerea IVF, a Swedish industrial research institute, claims that Midsummer’s rapid sputtering production processRead More

Rigid silicon solar panels dominate the utility and residential markets, but opportunity exists for thin-film photovoltaic and emerging technologies notable for being lightweight and flexible, according to scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Thin films such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium galliumRead More

Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer Ascent Solar Technologies has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for two exclusive development projects. As part of the awards, worth up to $100,000 each, Ascent Solar is to work toward commercialization of sputtered Zn(O,S) buffers in flexible CIGS solar cells and alsoRead More

Hanergy Thin Film Power Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Electric Vehicle at the “Green China – Hanergy Ecological City Comprehensive Solution Plan Conference” held at the Hanergy general headquarters. Working together within the framework of “Smart Transportation, Green Journey,” the two companies pledged to drive forward thinRead More

Sol Voltaics has closed a record funding round of $21.3 million, the largest finance raise for a European solar technology company since 2015. The new finance will be used to accelerate commercialization of its highly anticipated solar efficiency boosting technology, SolFilm which the company claims will increase conventional solar panelRead More

The two leading thin-film solar manufacturers, First Solar and Solar Frontier, represent a combined manufacturing capacity of 4 GW. While they do not pose a short-term challenge to crystalline silicon players’ market dominance, ongoing innovations will ensure thin-film remains a significant player, according to Lux Research. Of the two, First SolarRead More

Next-generation solar cells made of super-thin films of semiconducting material hold promise because they’re relatively inexpensive and flexible enough to be applied just about anywhere. Researchers are working to dramatically increase the efficiency at which thin-film solar cells convert sunlight to electricity. But it’s a tough challenge, partly because aRead More

We have a thin-film segment update coming in our Nov/Dec issue. Spoiler: there are some things happening there. Case in point, Solar Frontier reports that the total cumulative shipments of its CIS thin-film solar panels have surpassed 4 GW, now reaching approximately 60 countries around the world. Some of the 11Read More