GLEN ALLEN, Va., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The world thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) market is forecast to reach $7.2 billion by 2015, compared to just over $1.0 billion today, according to a new report from NanoMarkets LC, an industry analyst firm based here. Additional details about the report are available on the firm's website at http://www.nanomarkets.net/.
About the Report:
The market is being driven by the inherent advantages of TFPV including low cost, low weight, and the ability to manufacture them on flexible substrates and embed solar power capabilities into walls, roofs and even windows. Unlike more conventional PV that uses crystalline silicon, TFPV also has the ability to operate under low light conditions. The report notes that to support the growing demand for TFPV, most manufacturers are ramping up production capacity and several -- including First Solar, Fuji Electric, Nanosolar, Sanyo, Uni-Solar and G24i -- are building plants with more than 100 MW in capacity.
Some of the findings of the report include:
-- Because worldwide energy prices are rising fast and PV prices are
falling fast, PV will carve off a big slice of the energy market and
could eventually account for as much as 20 percent of the U.S. market's
energy needs. Because TFPV costs less than conventional PV, TFPV is
most likely to take off first. Just a few years ago, TFPV was only
five percent of the entire PV market, but it is expected to account for
35 percent of the photovoltaics market by 2015. PV also offers
predictable pricing, something that fossil fuels cannot do.
-- Conventional PV is expensive to make. By contrast TFPV can be
manufactured using simple printing or other R2R machines; the value of
printed TFPV is expected to reach just over $3.0 billion by 2015.
Printing PV has the potential for lowering capital costs by as much as
75 percent, reducing waste and increasing throughput.
-- The fact that TFPV is also much lighter than conventional PV and can be
more easily applied to curved and non-planar surfaces, TFPV is easier
to install on roofs and walls. Where a lot of panels need to be
installed on a roof, using TF PV reduces the likelihood that the roof
will have to be specially reinforced. TFPV is also enabling windows
that double as PV panels, making PV much more practical for buildings
large and small.
-- PV based on organic materials is more ecologically friendly than other
PV approaches. Efficiencies of organic PV are also improving rapidly
and new cell architectures promise that the performance of organic PV
devices could come close to or possibly even exceed those of their
purely inorganic counterparts. By 2015 NanoMarkets expects shipments
of organic PV to reach 500 MW.
About the report:
NanoMarkets' new report provides a complete analysis of the commercial opportunities for amorphous silicon, CIS/CIGS, CdTe and organic/hybrid TFPV markets. It also examines the role that new encapsulation materials and transparent conductors and silicon inks will have. Applications for TF PV include large projects and utilities, commercial and industrial buildings, consumer electronics and military and emergency. The report also includes detailed eight-year (in dollar and peak MW terms) forecasts of these markets and profiles of all the leading firms developing and marketing this emerging technology and an assessment of the impact of TFPV on government funding and subsidies in the U.S. Europe and Japan.
About NanoMarkets:
NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in electronics created by developments in advanced materials. The firm has published numerous reports related to organic, thin film and printable electronics materials and applications. The firm also publishes a blog found at http://www.nanotopblog.com/.
NanoMarkets LC
