Although other areas of printed electronics have languished, printed photovoltaics has continued to establish itself as both a real business and one of the few hopes for printed electronics, according to a new report from NanoMarkets. The company's latest forecast of printed PV sees the market growing to $1.9 billion by 2014, with two-thirds of that coming from printing the core cell structure itself.
There are many reasons why PV cell manufacturers should consider utilizing printing as part of their manufacturing mix, says NanoMarkets. Printing can provide both capital and operational cost improvements over more traditional PV manufacturing methods. Printing equipment is also relatively inexpensive and also more efficient on materials usage when compared to more traditional fabrication machinery.
Additionally, printing is an approach that can combine both patterning and deposition and is more cost-effective than more conventional manufacturing strategies.
NanoMarkets believes that substantial opportunities will emerge for manufacturers of novel inks. For example, solar cells using CIGS ink should be worth almost $340 million by 2014. The report also forecasts that printed organic PV cells will surpass $300 million in the same time frame.
For more information, visit http://www.nanomarkets.net/.
SOURCE: NanoMarkets
