The development of low-cost amorphous silicon module technology for high-growth PV markets

The rapidly expanding market for photovoltaic products has accelerated the technology development of low-cost amorphous silicon modules at EPV Solar, Inc. (EPV). To meet the market demand, manufacturing technology has been developed to increase the standard module power from 42 watts to 53 watts, while lowering its per watt cost. These performance enhancements come from a combination of higher performance cell materials, a larger module size, innovations in module fabrication processes, and more efficient manufacturing systems. The market growth for EPV products has been further accelerated through the development and installation of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) in high-profile commercial buildings, where the a-Si modules are aesthetically integrated into the building structure. To satisfy the market needs for low-cost a-Si products, EPV is rapidly expanding its manufacturing capacity in new and existing facilities in the US and abroad. As a result of recent efforts, EPV modules have better performance, are more readily available, and are less expensive to manufacture.