Tandem-type Panels, a solar solution for industrial use

A new solar trend seems to have caught everyone’s fancy these days and it was proved at the PV Japan 2009, an exhibition of photovoltaic technologies. This new trend is the tandem-type panel that consists of different kinds of solar cells and can convert light in a wider wavelength range to electricity. These panels are made of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon and are suitable for industrial photovoltaic systems.

Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) of the US showed off a tandem-type thin film solar panel using an 8.5-generation, 5.7m2glass plate, priced at $1/W capable of achieving high grid parity and higher conversion efficiency. The tandem-type panels are black and hence they can use light in a wider wavelength range.
Companies like Sharp, Sanyo, Oerlikon and Ulvac have also announced their range of tandem-type solar panels to keep up with the trend. Solar power for industries doesn’t seem like a distant dream any more with the introduction of these tandem-type panels.


[Techon]