Unlike most thin film solar technologies cigs solar panels offer a potentially competitive efficiency to traditional silicon panels.
Cigs solar panels.
Copper indium gallium selenide cigs to become a giant in the green energy industry we aim to capture the unlimited power of the sun to create an efficient and sustainable source of energy for the planet.
Cigs cell on a flexible plastic backing.
Cigs is a versatile material that can be fabricated by multiple processes and implemented in different form factors.
Cigs based thin film solar modules represent a high efficiency alternative for large scale commercial solar modules.
Although cigs solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of large scale commercialization they can be produced by using a process that has the potential to reduce the cost of producing photovoltaic devices.
A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell or cigs cell sometimes ci g s or cis cell is a thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power.
It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper indium gallium and selenium on glass or plastic backing along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current.
For example cigs can be deposited on substrates such as glass metal foils and polymers.
Cigs is a thin film technology but it is important that it is not confused with another thin film solar that is mostly silicon based.
With efficiencies exceeding 20 measured in the laboratory there may be a continuing place for high efficiency cigs panels in the general solar panel market.
Copper indium gallium deselenide and these are the 4 elements in certain mixing ratios that are the active substance in cigs.
Cigs cells also use the toxic chemical cadmium.
Other architectures use rigid cigs panels sandwiched between two panes of glass.