International Solar Electric Technology, Inc., a manufacturer of thinfilm CIGS solar modules, announced the successful implementation of pilot manufacturing operations to validate its unique low-cost printing technology in preparation for expansion to volume production.
ISET has focused over 25 years of technology development on cost-effective methods of producing photovoltaic (PV) modules that will make solar electricity generation more affordable to achieve grid parity. ISET’s non-vacuum ink-based production method for printing solar cells on glass offers substantial cost advantages over competing high-vacuum technologies due to efficient use of semiconductor materials and low-cost capital equipment.
Dr. Vijay K. Kapur, ISET’s CEO and President, hailed the success of the pilot line as “a critical step in transferring our unique technology from the lab to large scale production without requiring heavy capital investment.” He added, “We feel confident that by demonstrating high quality and performance through this intermediate step, we have significantly reduced the possibility for costly delays in implementing our capacity ramp. We have also identified valuable methods of improving performance, yield, throughput, and materials utilization.”
ISET’s pilot line produces monolithically integrated CIGS modules on glass substrates with an area of 1ft2. Recent production runs have achieved 11% cell average conversion efficiency.
Additionally, ISET’s R&D team has fabricated laboratory devices with better than 14% efficiency. Dr. Kapur noted that research efforts were “on track to reach 16% in the near term.”
ISET has established its pilot production line in a facility that can accommodate an expansion to an annual capacity of 30 MW while generating over 100 additional jobs and providing competitively-priced PV products to local and international markets.
ISET PR – Pilot Line Production
About ISET
International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. (ISET) is a privately held corporation located in Chatsworth, California (USA). The company was founded in 1985, and manufactures copperindium- gallium-selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells using a patented ink-printing process. For more information about ISET and its revolutionary technology, please go to www.isetinc.com.
Media Contact:
Steve Roth / Corporate Controller
ISET Communications
Phone: 818-882-8687 ext. 212
E-mail: steve.roth@isetinc.com