GlobalSpec has asked its users about the latest design trends and features related to Photovoltaic Cells and Panels. They have also shared their product applications and tips on how to buy and use these products.
See the entire survey
What new technologies are influencing photovoltaic cell design?
60 answers
Photovoltaic panels based on crystalline silicon modules are being partially replaced in the market by panels that employ thin-film solar cells (CdTe[28] CIGS,[29] amorphous Si,[30] microcrystalline Si), which are rapidly growing and are expected to account for 31 percent of the global installed power by 2013.
~Engineering, Design, Al_Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Thin film, although not accessible, (as far as I know) particularly to a small company as mine. Aquatek Industries has been in business over 30 years, producing water purification systems, commercial, industrial, and medical. I verily believe that there is a definite synergy between alternative energy & water.
~AUSTIN N, Design Engineer, PHARR, TX
Getting it cheap enough for more people to afford it. Plus getting permission from the New World Order to let the middle class take advantage of this opportunity without them controlling it.
~Frank K, Research & Development, Chesapaeke, City or Norfolk
Aesthetic appeal and building integration into the design process, improved performance levels per m2 of coverage and innovative uses in the installation process.
~Anthony D, Project Manager, Melbourne, Australia
I believe that the future is for the carbon nano tube solar funnel invention for MIT university. Amazing discovery for the solar energy.
~Rodolph F, Research & Development, Byblos, Leanon
I understand that properties of nano material is very different. Nano technology in manufacturing of cells should be explored.
~Yashwant J, Research & Development, Agra, India
I think that the electronics balance systems as distribute bypass diode (on each cell of module) and MPPT module level.
~Engineering, Design, Matera, Italy
New technology in photovoltaic cells and batteries with compact design and maintenance free.
~Khalid H, Engineering Consultant, Multan, Pakistan
The ability to generate the most efficient power from a photovoltaic cell.
~Gerhard J, Student, Plymouth, United kingdom
Amorphous PVS, able to be print or 'painted' into any kind of surfaces.
~Faculty/Staff, Lisbon, Portugal
Silicon germanium technology if the efficiency becomes better and cheaper.
~Matiur Sarker, Marketing/Sales, Dhaka, Bangladesh
I haven't seen that big of a break through, just a lot of lab curiosities.
~Kevin J, Hobbyist/Mechanical Engineer, Lancaster, TX
HIT (of Sanyo) will be great technology for improving PV efficiency.
~Yoshi K, Consultant, Tokyo, JPN
Perhaps flexible panels for better cover of all sinuous surfaces.
~Pere Pons Tomas, Retired advertising photographer., Barcelona, Spain
Coatings to prolong the life of photovoltaic cell durability.
~Marketing/Sales, Culpeper, VA
Cell capacity reliability under Australian conditions.
~Melvyn A, Engineer, Nambour, Australia
How rapidly they charge and under difficult conditions.
~KARIN OSTREICHER, Marketing/Sales, SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Cost of producing cells & efficiency improvements
~Remy B, Design Engineer, Sydney, Australia
Multi-junction PV cells as well as nano-materials.
~Miroslav P., Engineer, Sofia, Bulgaria
Coating to enhance the life of photovoltaic cells.
~Mike K, Marketing/Sales, Culpeper, VA
Thin-cell, PV-printing; multilayered CPV-HCPV
~Dominique D., Project Manager, Barcelona, Spain
Air turbine generator. Drivers or inverters
~Engineering, Other, Carlos A. Carrillo, Mexico
Nickel metal hydride batteries (twicell)
~A lowly old shipping and rec. clerk.., Ontario, CA
Moving from crystalline to thin film tech
~Huzefa A C, Engineer, Chennai, India
One photon multiple hits related designs
~Research & Development, Bremen, Germany
Tandem cell, new materials application.
~Yun-Heng T, Process Engineer, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Thin surface and light weight material.
~EDWIN M, Facilities Manager, BALTIMORE, MD
String method of building photo cells
~Research & Development, Neebing, Canada
Flexible plastic solar panels (cells)
~Other, Cape Coral, FL
Flexible, thin film, multi spectrum
~Alex T, Engineering Consultant, Toronto, Canada
The efficiency rating of the cell
~Engineering, Design, Seattle, WA
Solar plastic cells technology
~AKSINGLA A, Manufacturer, NOIDA, India
Off grid power, global econ.
~James Frei, Engineer, Lauderhill, FL
I buy cost effective cells.
~Wilfredo Walters, Builder/Contractor, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Multi-Junction Solar Cells
~Thomas H, Engineering Consultant, Church Crookham, UK
Solar concentrator designs
~Peter J, Design Engineer, Sydney, Australia
Thin Film roll production.
~Paul, Research & Development, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Organic photovoltaic cell
~Titu C, Research & Development, Cugir, Romania
FBS, high tech regulators
~Engineering, Design, 220 Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Cell, module construction
~Design Engineer, London, Great Britain
Sub-micron photovoltaics
~John M, Professional Engineer, Comber, N Ireland
Ribbon & Screen print.
~William M, Engineering Consultant, PALM DESERT, CA
Vertical wind turbine.
~Technical Support/Services, Guatemala, Guatemala
New storage systems.
~Raj Subramanian, Engineer, Melborne, Australia
Metamorphic design
~Sankaran Muthusamy, Research & Development, Bangalore, India
Grid tie inverters
~Michael L, Engineer, Kingston, Jamaica
Efficiency rating
~Vic Ruiz, Marketing/Sales, Bacoor cavite philippines, Philippines
Need high Voltage
~Nopporn T, Engineer, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Microcontrollers
~Juan M, Manufacturer, Juarez, Mexico
Nanotechnologies
~Paul G, Technical Support, Ithaca, NY
Printed cells
~Les G, Jeweler, Ocean view, Hawaii
Flexible cell
~Ernest L, Engineer, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Car industry
~Technical Support/Services, Oskarshamn, Sweden
Thin wafer
~General Management, Lihue, HI
Thin Film
~Richard S, General Management, Panama City, REp of Panama
Thin Film
~Engineering, Consulting, EIBAR, Spain
Shingles
~Bernard P, Builder/Contractor, Lagos, Nigeria
Thin film
~Dion C, Anti-corrosion poymer coating, Levin, NZ
Solyndra
~Ron G, Control Operator (Coal Fired Power Plant), Fontana, KS
A lot
~Guillermo Garza milling, General Management, Monterrey, Mexico
From your perspective, which companies are creating the most innovative photovoltaic cells?
47 answers
First Solar and Sanyo have created innovative PV already. But from now, I expect Mitsubishi Chemical could achieve innovative organic PV because of their high commitment.
~Yoshi K, Consultant, Tokyo, JPN
Scheuten Solar, First Solar as well as improving performance Schott and Suntech, Canadian solar also has good products.
~Anthony D, Project Manager, Melbourne, Australia
There are many companies dedicated to R & D around the world both in Europe, America and Japan.
~Design Engineer, London, Great Britain
The folks working with Cadmium-Teleride based cells seem to have the efficiency advantage.
~Paul G, Technical Support, Ithaca, NY
Solyndra 360 (degree) access for better coverage in shady areas or even sunny location.
~Ron G, Control Operator (Coal Fired Power Plant), Fontana, KS
A lot of hot air is being blown around, but I wait to see results.
~Bernard P, Builder/Contractor, Lagos, Nigeria
Germans yet are the best to me, according the studies I made.
~Rodolph F, Research & Development, Byblos, Leanon
I do not know yet, there are so many companies producing.
~Asif C, Production Manager, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Mx Group Italy & Photo Watt, France & Bosch, Germany
~William M, Engineering Consultant, PALM DESERT, CA
First Solar, Xunlight, Advanced Solar Voltaic.
~Paul, Research & Development, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Solar Junction, Emcore, Spectrolab, Spiral
~Yun-Heng T, Process Engineer, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Bp and queensland renewable energy.
~Melvyn A, Engineer, Nambour, Australia
The European and Japanese Companies
~Hans-J. R, Retiered, Lucan, Canada
Nippon and China companies
~Engineering, Consulting, Bogotá, Colombia
UNSW photovoltaic research
~Remy B, Design Engineer, Sydney, Australia
Helios Technology, Italy
~Engineering, Design, 220 Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Some of the Indian ones
~Ernest L, Engineer, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
German and Italian Co.
~Technical Support/Services, Oskarshamn, Sweden
Q-cells and Solsonica
~Engineering, Design, Matera, Italy
Suntech, First Solar
~Miroslav P., Engineer, Sofia, Bulgaria
Spectrolab, Solfocus
~Dominique D., Project Manager, Barcelona, Spain
Technologies company
~Leandro Bergmann Scalco, Facilities Manager, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Dupont photovoltaic
~AKSINGLA A, Manufacturer, NOIDA, India
Spectrolab, Emcore
~Sankaran Muthusamy, Research & Development, Bangalore, India
Probably China
~Other, Cape Coral, FL
Foreign companies
~Frank K, Research & Development, Chesapaeke, City or Norfolk
Konarka, Suntech
~Faculty/Staff, Lisbon, Portugal
Konaka, Solamar
~Dion C, Anti-corrosion poymer coating, Levin, NZ
First Solar
~Engineering, Consulting, EIBAR, Spain
Solar World
~Wilfredo Walters, Builder/Contractor, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Green world
~Research & Development, Neebing, Canada
From China
~Michael L, Engineer, Kingston, Jamaica
Spectrolab
~Thomas H, Engineering Consultant, Church Crookham, UK
Thin film
~Guillermo Garza milling, General Management, Monterrey, Mexico
Good rich
~Matiur Sarker, Marketing/Sales, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sunpower
~Vic Ruiz, Marketing/Sales, Bacoor cavite philippines, Philippines
BP solar
~Huzefa A C, Engineer, Chennai, India
Suntech
~Engineering, Design, Al_Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Toshiba
~Raj Subramanian, Engineer, Melborne, Australia
Spanish
~KARIN OSTREICHER, Marketing/Sales, SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Sharp
~Nopporn T, Engineer, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Sanyo
~A lowly old shipping and rec. clerk.., Ontario, CA
Sharp
~Khalid H, Engineering Consultant, Multan, Pakistan
Sanyo
~General Corporate Mgmt, Needmore, PA
Sony
~Gerhard J, Student, Plymouth, United kingdom
China
~James Frei, Engineer, Lauderhill, FL
Dnk
~Alex T, Engineering Consultant, Toronto, Canada
