NanoSolar cost at 30 cents per Watt

joe1347 · Heavy Crude Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 146

SolarBuzz is reporting that the lowest cost thin-film module is running about $3.69/watt. I'm assuming that this is for a product that can be purchased today - unlike the nano-tech solar cells.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/

Once these nano-baloney thin-film companies start shipping in volume reliable solar cells in modules that will last 20+ years with mimimal performance (efficiency) degradation, then I'll be a believer in the sub $1/watt nano-tech cells. Until then, silicon still has >90% of the solar cell market with proven (reliable) products and thin-film solar cells haven't proven their ability to move past the hype stage.
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aahala · Intermediate Crude Joined: Feb 03, 2005 Posts: 954

I have to give the solar PV industry a lot of credit for their
ever increasing efficiency. Increasing efficiency in pumping
out press releases claiming success is just around the corner.

I shouldn't be surprised. If you frequently do something for
decades, you tend to get good at it.

WisJim

The Solarbuzz chart and article are intersting. The Euro and dollar prices are awfully close on the chart, but a Euro is about $1.48US, so I would read the chart as saying that if converted to $US, the lines on the graph would be farther apart.

The $1.19 per watt for FirstSolar is for production cost, and it isn't clear how that relates to retail price. The Solarbuzz figures sound reasonable to me--I can get panels for not much more than the prices given, so just under $4 a watt for thin film modules IN QUANTITY sounds reasonable.

As soon as I can buy some for under $2 a watt, a kilowatt or 2 are getting added to my system. And then I will probably have to buy another inverter and go to net metering to make use of all the power.

FoxV

Concerned · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 23, 2004 Posts: 1482

Almost reminiscent of the unmetered power claims nuclear was making in the 50's At least these guys have a different angle instead of free it's almost free.

Still waiting.
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FairMaiden

Mesuge

Well, we can be worried both ways..
Imagine that the nanosolar guys will be able to build up the entire new nanosolar industry base within the next 20-30 yrs to largely offset the effects of peakoil, peakcoal and gas, so we are speaking about many TWs of energy production capacity..

Now, take into account the human factor, that would also mean that people just can continue to drive their electric Hummers and average 2t SUVs as before, farmers can continue to overpump from wells or desalinate from ocean = increasing agro production => more people, bigger environ stress on the ecosystem etc..

Is it indeed the next magic bullet which will propel our species to another higher level? I doubt it, the nanosolar guys need this just-in-time global economy to deliver on the price tag and to scale up the factories while the economic system is humming at full speed..
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DOOMerotron: at all-time high [8.1] out of 10..

Cabrone

30c per watt or $300 per kW would be good enough to tempt a lot of people as long as you can get 20 years out of these cells.

Let's hope this story has some substance to it.

sicophiliac

I have read some information on nanosolars official website and I believe they claim no degradation of their solar cells for 10 years or more. At least that is what they estimate. They also claim energy payback on energy invested takes a few months. That would give a net energy return over at least 30:1 and probably more like 50 :1 if you consider it could function at partial capacity for at least another 5-10 years past the 10 year mark. But like others here have said lets not get our hopes up yet until we see a commercial viable and scalable product.

Alcassin

Nanotechnology yes, but not CIGS in NanoSolar, there is just too little indium on the world to make enough panels.
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Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by
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mos6507 · Fission Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 2882

I think dye sensitive solar cells may be a more promising technology in the end (if they can get off of the ruthenium dye and platinum backing layer). The reason being that they work better on diffuse and/or lower intensity sunlight, which will make more of an impact in cloudier climates and allow installation in more off-angle places.

Nevertheless, if the thin film stuff comes out first, and it's cheap, I'll probably buy into it before the indium runs out.

kublikhan · Intermediate Crude Joined: Nov 06, 2007 Posts: 614

dooberheim

jbeckton · Expert Joined: Jan 05, 2007 Posts: 1914

joe1347 · Heavy Crude Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 146