Avancis’ 30 cm x 30 cm integrated tandem cell has an efficiency of 20.3%, setting a new world record for a CIGS (copper, indium, gallium,selenide) solar panel.
The results achieved by the German manufacturer have been verified by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Solar Power Plant
German thin-film solar module manufacturer Avancis claims that they have created a 30 cm x 30 cm integrated tandem fully-encapsulated CIGS module, and its efficiency has set a new world record.
Its 527 cm2 panel has an efficiency of 20.3% and has been certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The previous efficiency record for a CIGS module of this size was 19.64%.
“By employing the AVANCIS SEL-RTP process (Stacked Elemental Layers-Rapid Thermal Processing), and a Na-based post-deposition treatment of the absorber and cadmium-free sputtered zinc (oxygen, sulfur) buffer layers, further optimization of the bandgap profile of the gallium-rich copper (indium, gallium) (sulfur, selenium)2 absorber successfully achieved the above-mentioned record-breaking efficiency.”
Avancis said the process used to achieve record efficiencies could be easily transferred to commercial production.
Design Freedom
These large-area thin-film solar modules open up virtually unlimited design freedom in the planning and realization of future-proof solar facades, with special Avancis color technology enabling dynamic coloring and thus an interplay of light and color, said the company, while matte and noble surfaces create architectural highlights.
Avancis has developed a high-efficiency solar panel with a CIGS absorber, sodium-based post-treatment and a cadmium-free sputtered zinc oxide buffer layer.
The panel was manufactured at a research center in Munich, Germany. Since 2014, Avancis has been a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned company CNBM, with headquarters in Torgau, Germany, and offices in Munich and Aochang, South Korea.
