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| A key PV technology to reach 12% of EU’s electricity by 2020  The Thin Film industry is more than ever ready to contribute to the 12% target set by EPIA in its recent SET For 2020 study. This was confirmed by the 260 participants of EPIA's 2nd International Thin Film Conference that took place on 12 November 2009 in Munich. EPIA recently released the Study, SET For 2020, demonstrating how PV could become a mainstream power source in Europe by 2020. The most progressive scenario (Paradigm Shift Scenario) sets the target of 12 percent of EU's electricity demand to be supplied by solar photovoltaic electricity by 2020. In this context, the conference looked at how the different stakeholders within the Thin Film sector will approach future challenges and opportunities in order to match the high expected demand."By 2020 Thin Film technology is expected to represent about one third of the total PV market; this constitutes a challenge but at the same time represents a great opportunity for the whole PV industry and related sectors", said Adel El Gammal, EPIA Secretary General. In the current financial context, securing finances is absolutely critical as investments need to be made now in order to increase competitiveness. Bringing down the costs, increasing both the efficiency and the lifetime of PV systems and upscaling towards mass production are essential elements to reduce the cost of PV-generated electricity and bring PV technology to full competitiveness with conventional energy sources. Thin Film manufacturers recalled their readiness to reach the Paradigm Shift Scenario confirming that fundamentals remain excellent. "The PV industry has proved today that the technology and the capacity for mass production are ready to make PV a mainstream energy source, however we need to ensure that the market and legal conditions are appropriate to guarantee a sustainable market in the next years", concluded Bernhard Dimmler, CEO of Würth Solar and Chairman of the conference. Thin Film technologies offer many advantages such as low cost per m2 (important in the development of building integrated applications), vast availability of materials, high flexibility and an environmental footprint. Already some Thin Film technologies present energy pay-back (time required for a PV module to produce as much energy as it needs to be manufactured) times below one year (down to six months in best locations) still decreasing as manufacturing processes optimise and material usage improves. Thin Film technologies, present a huge potential for cost reduction and bring an excellent solution to accelerate the achievement of a sustainable energy production in Europe. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |