PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS AND MODULES: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK TOWARDS THE YEAR 2000

There is a clear need for renewable energy and PV is a very attractive renewable energy source. The paper describes the different requirements for photovoltaic materials and compares these materials on the basis of these requirements. Silicon in general and crystalline silicon in particular fullfil the largest part of the current PV-market and the technological issues of this materials are therefore described in more detail from source(feedstock) material, over crystallization and wafering up to cell and module fabrication. The potentiality to serve the market and the ecological impact are extremely large and encouraging. Industrial capacity is increasing. Some applications are economic already now at current prices, but the large electrical market penetration can only come if conversion efficiencies are increased and cost is reduced further by accelerating the increase in production volumes and R&D efforts considerably.