Printed Photovoltaics Leads PE Market, Report Says

While other areas of printed electronics have languished, printed photovoltaics (PV) has continued to establish itself as both a real business and one of the few hopes for printed electronics, according to a new research report from NanoMarkets. The report forecasts that the printed PV market will grow to $1.9 billion by 2014, with two thirds of that coming from printing the core cell structure itself.

“There are many reasons that PV cell manufacturers should consider utilizing printing as part of their manufacturing mix,” says the report. “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. It is also an approach that can combine both patterning and deposition and provides another cost efficiency compared with 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. NanoMarkets also predicts that printed organic PV cells will surpass $300 million in the same time frame.

“With so much attention currently being given to printing PV, the printed PV market has created an opportunity for manufacturers of printing equipment at a time when most other sectors into which it sells are shrinking because of the poor economic climate.”

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market opportunities emerging from printed PV for the both the solar cell and printing sectors, as well as the materials companies that supply these sectors. It analyzes the latest developments in use of printing for all of the major PV platforms including crystalline, nanocrystalline and amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, CIGS/CIS, dye sensitive cells, organic PV, and gallium arsenide. The latest PV-related developments in all the main printing technologies are covered, including screen printing, inkjet, transfer printing, flexo and gravure. The report also provides detailed eight-year forecasts of the printed PV market revenues as well as an analysis of the printing strategies of industry-leading firms such as Dyesol, G24i, Innovalight, Konarka and Nanosolar.