Global Solar Energy Explained

Type:Subsidiary
Foundation:1996
Founder:Tucson Electric
Location City:Tucson, Arizona, United States
Industry:Solar energy
Products:CIGS solar cells, thin-film PV technology
Parent:Hanergy

Global Solar Energy is a US-based manufacturer of CIGS solar cells, a thin-film based photovoltaic technology, with manufacturing operations in Tucson, Arizona, United States, and Berlin, Germany. In 2013, it was bought by Chinese renewable energy company Hanergy.[1]

Technology

The company uses copper indium gallium diselenide to produce CIGS cells, which achieve up to 19.9% efficiency in laboratory samples,[2] and production cells of about 10.5 to 11 percent average efficiency.[3] This type of solar cell is ideal for portable power and is 1.5 to 2X greater in performance than comparable thin film flexible solar materials.[4]

Mass production

Global Solar Energy opened in 1996, and in 2008 finished another phase of development as it expanded its CIGS production to a new 40 MW facility in Tucson, Arizona and a second 35 MW facility in Berlin, Germany.[5]

The company expects to produce 20 megawatts of the films at the plant in 2008 before ramping up to 40 megawatts of capacity in 2009 and 140 megawatts by 2010.[6] This makes Global Solar the largest full-scale manufacturer of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics.

Installations

Global Solar Energy operates the largest CIGS solar electric array in the world, a 750 kW system located at the company's manufacturing facility in Tucson.[7] Part of the energy harnessed by this array is being purchased by the factory itself.[8]

Competitors

See main article: List of CIGS companies.

With the advances in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) technology in recent years, and the falling cost of the polysilicon feedstock, that followed after a period of severe global shortage, pressure increased on manufacturers of commercial thin-film technologies, including amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), leading to the bankruptcy of several companies.[9] Some current competitors are:

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Hanergy Acquires Global Solar Energy . 2 January 2015 . Global Solar . 25 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150102035118/http://www.globalsolar.com/company/media/global-solar-hanergy/ . 2 January 2015 .
  2. I. Repins, M. A. Contreras, B. Egaas, C. DeHart, J. Scharf, C. L. Perkins, B. To, and R. Noufi., 19.9%-efficient ZnO/CdS/CuInGaSe$_2$ solar cell with 81.2% fill factor.
  3. Web site: HelioVolt Hits 12.2% Efficiency : Greentech Media . Greentechmedia.com . 2010-04-02 . 2009-05-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090503120221/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/heliovolt-hits-122-efficiency-885.html . live .
  4. Web site: SCOTTEVEST/SeV - Gear Management Clothing - Solar Panels . Scottevest.com . 2010-04-02 . 2009-06-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090609151749/http://scottevest.com/v3_glossary/solarpanels.shtml . live .
  5. Web site: Documents . Compound Semiconductors Online . 2008-03-09 . 2010-04-02 . 2011-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720115706/http://www.compoundsemi.com/documents/articles/gsedoc/9796.html . live .
  6. Web site: Q&A: Global Solar VPs Dish Thin-Film Details : Greentech Media . Greentechmedia.com . 2008-03-21 . 2010-04-02 . 2008-12-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081225230417/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/qa-global-solar-vps-dish-thin-film-details-718.html . live .
  7. Web site: Solar Industry: Content / Projects & Contracts / World's Largest CIGS Solar Array Operational In Arizona . Solarindustrymag.com . 2008-12-03 . 2010-04-02 . 2009-08-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090811021650/http://www.solarindustrymag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2222 . live .
  8. Web site: MarketWatch.com . MarketWatch.com . 2010-04-02 . 2008-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081220110548/http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Worlds-Largest-CIGS-Thin-Film/story.aspx?guid=%7B63742D63-1F40-4BBC-9D5D-09A11EC66379%7D . live .
  9. Web site: How thin film solar fares vs crystalline silicon . RenewableEnergyWorld.com . 2011-01-03 . 2015-07-29 . 2015-04-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165153/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/01/how-thin-film-solar-fares-vs-crystalline-silicon . live .
  10. Web site: Nanosolar Creates Largest Thin-Film Tool : Greentech Media . Greentechmedia.com . 2010-04-02 . 2009-04-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090428145728/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/nanosolar-creates-largest-thin-film-tool-1023.html . live .
  11. 10.1021/cm901950q. 12% Efficiency CuIn(Se,S)2 Photovoltaic Device Prepared Using a Hydrazine Solution Process†. 2010. Liu. Wei. Mitzi. David B.. Yuan. Min. Kellock. Andrew J.. Chey. S. Jay. Gunawan. Oki. Chemistry of Materials. 22. 3. 1010.

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