Nanosolar Inc., a manufacturer of CIGS thin-film solar cells and panels, says it has completed a 1 MW ground-mounted installation at Camp Roberts in San Miguel, Calif. The installation is part of the U.S. Department of Defense's Energy Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).
The installation uses 4,992 of Nanosolar's thin-film panels, which are produced through a proprietary roll-to-roll printing process to coat an aluminum foil with CIGS inks. The company's manufacturing capacity is currently 115 MW annually, and it is producing 230 W panels that feature an 11.5% conversion efficiency. Nanosolar expects that the panels' efficiency, through process and technology improvements, will increase to 14% by the end of next year.
