Thin-film photovoltaics goes head-to-head with crystalline modules

Thin-Film Industry Forum 2012 sheds light on latest industry developments.

Whereas in the past bottlenecks in silicon supply and the high crystalline module prices they caused provided the thin-film solar industry with a tremendous boost, in recent times the sector has had to fight hard to maintain its market share. In future, it will need to increase efficiency, bring down costs quickly and tap into special niche application markets if the technology is to compete with crystalline modules. On 19th and 20th April in Berlin, a host of experts will present their assessments of the current climate and future prospects for thin-film technology at the Thin-Film Industry Forum 2012.

The two-day conference, which is set to take place as part of the 4th Photovoltaics Thin-Film Week in Berlin-Adlershof, will cover a range of topics including government policy and global thin-film PV markets. A range of practical case studies will be used to illustrate areas of application, measurement results and project experiences. The spotlight will also fall on developments in the glass industry and in laser technology. The line up of speakers includes Dr Bernd Szyszka from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films, Dirk Morbitzer (Renewable Analytics), Andreas Wade from First Solar, Madhavan Nampoothiri (RESolve Energy Consultants) and Dr Rutger Schlatmann from the Competence Centre Thin-Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB).

The “PV Thin-Film Week”, which is the only one-week event worldwide focussing solely on thin-film photovoltaics, is organised jointly by Solarpraxis AG, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, and PvcomB. The remarkable feature of the event is the way it combines a range of scientific workshops with a practical industry forum.

Managing directors, technical directors, financial officers, technical managers and marketing managers from the thin-film PV field as well as suppliers, investors, politicians and media representatives will all be found among the 250 participants. The conference language is English.

For further information, please click here.

Source: Solarpraxis