Avancis achieves 15.1 percent efficiency

TORGAU, GERMANY: The solar module manufacturer AVANCIS has recorded a new international efficiency record with a 30 x 30 cm², fully encapsulated CIS solar module.

Based on the aperture area of 668 cm², an efficiency level of 15.1 % has been confirmed by the independent National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, Col. USA). With this result, AVANCIS heads the list of independently certified world records in the field of thin-film solar modules published in the “Progress in Photovoltaics” journal.

“This world record is testimony to the fact that CIS boasts the best performance of all thin-film technologies and, with our patented, two-stage manufacturing method, we have an unrivalled production process at our disposal,” explained Dr. Franz Karg, CTO of AVANCIS. “Since start of production in October 2008, we have been able to increase the efficiency of standard production modules from an initial 9 percent to 11 percent,” continued Dr. Karg.

In order to turn the records achieved by the research department into an industry standard as quickly as possible, the department only uses processes and materials that are also used in series production.

AVANCIS develops and produces thin-film photovoltaic modules on the basis of CIS (copper indium selenide). The innovative production process is based on the second generation of CIS technology, developed in the AVANCIS research & development department in Munich. The production capacity of the first factory at the company headquarters in Torgau is 20 megawatt peak per annum (MWp/a).

Siemens, Shell and Saint-Gobain are well-known names that have supported current AVANCIS technology at a very early stage and they are closely associated with successes in the field of photovoltaics. AVANCIS as a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain benefits from many years of experience in coating and heat-treating glass, two core areas of expertise of the world’s leading provider of glass for the construction and automotive industries.