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Abstract:
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In the early 19th century, industrial revolution was fuelled mainly by
the development of machine based manufacturing and the increased use of
coal. Later on, the focal point shifted to oil, thanks to the mass-production
technology, ease of transport/storage and also the (less) environmental
issues in comparison with the coal!!
By the dawn of 21st century, due to the depletion of oil reserves and
pollution resulting from heavy usage of oil the demand for clean energy was
on the rising edge. This ever growing demand has propelled research on
photovoltaics which has emerged successful and is currently being looked
up to as the only solace for meeting our present day energy requirements.
The proven PV technology on commercial scale is based on silicon but the
recent boom in the demand for photovoltaic modules has in turn created a
shortage in supply of silicon. Also the technology is still not accessible to
common man. This has onset the research and development work on
moderately efficient, eco-friendly and low cost photovoltaic devices (solar
cells). Thin film photovoltaic modules have made a breakthrough entry in
the PV market on these grounds.
Thin films have the potential to revolutionize the present cost
structure of solar cells by eliminating the use of the expensive silicon wafers
that alone accounts for above 50% of total module manufacturing cost. |