[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5854\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBetter, more versatile silicon-free solar cell technologies \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe performance of solar cells depends largely on the material they are made of, and silicon, the base for most solar cells, is cheap to make, but as a thin film\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Econverts at most 10 % of sunlight to electricity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, copper indium gallium diselenide\u0026nbsp;(CIGS) solar cells convert about 13 % of sunlight to electricity, and that has been extended to over 20 % in the lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose are attractive figures for the European Union, which has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least one-fifth below 1990 levels by 2020. Part of this cutback is expected to come from the more widespread adoption of efficient solar power.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, at the moment CIGS solar cells come with a hefty price tag, because they must be manufactured in a vacuum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESCALENANO is one of several projects backed by the EU\u2019s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) running from 2007-2013, to make CIGS solar cells more competitive in the marketplace. With a total budget of more than EUR\u0026nbsp;10 million, the project aims to develop cheaper manufacturing methods that do not involve a vacuum, such as electrodeposition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe electrochemical route\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn electrodeposition, a cell substrate is dipped in a solution of the copper, indium and gallium, which is then fixed to the device precursor by applying an electric current. A further thermal reactive treatment allows formation of the CIGS compound with the right composition and crystalline quality. Eighteen months into its 42-month duration, the SCALENANO project has already demonstrated that electrodeposition can produce mid-sized CIGS solar modules with 13 % efficiency \u2013 matching the commercial versions made in a vacuum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In the case of electrodeposition, we\u2019re quite close to production,\u2019 said Alejandro P\u00e9rez-Rodr\u00edguez, the coordinator of SCALENANO, who is based at the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) in Spain.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Newer technologies will integrate photovoltaics with the outer surface of buildings, on their walls.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EPieter Bolt, R2R-CIGS coordinator, TNO, the Netherlands\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the long term, Perez-Rodriguez thinks an alternative lower cost competitive method could be ink printing. SCALENANO is investigating this method, which involves depositing an \u2018ink\u2019 of CIGS nano-crystals straight onto a surface in much the same way a newspaper is printed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are other methods in development too. Roll-to-Roll CIGS (R2R-CIGS), another FP7-backed project, is exploring how to manufacture the solar cells on a continuous roll of polymer film.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe R2R-CIGS project still uses a vacuum method to deposit the CIGS alloy, but its non-stop production process ought to cut costs. Another benefit is that the cells will be flexible, meaning they could be fitted to irregular surfaces like the walls of buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most solar panels now are on top of buildings, on their roofs,\u2019 said R2R-CIGS coordinator Pieter Bolt, who is based at the independent research organisation TNO in the Netherlands. \u2018But newer technologies will integrate the photovoltaics with the outer surface of buildings, on their walls.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOther options\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite these developments, some scientists believe the struggle to compete with silicon should not be underestimated. Martin Green at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, believes CIGS solar cells have an inherent drawback in that they contain indium, a rare and expensive metal. \u2018Silicon is here to stay,\u2019 he said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022 style=\u0022float: left;\u0022\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Prof. Alejandro P\u00e9rez Rodr\u00edguez, of the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC). Image courtesy of IREC, 2012.\u0022 height=\u0022164\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/HO6-Solarcell-AlejandroP%C3%A9rezRodriguezv2.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Prof. Alejandro P\u00e9rez Rodr\u00edguez, of the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC). Image courtesy of IREC, 2012.\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EProf. Alejandro P\u00e9rez Rodr\u00edguez, of the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC). Image courtesy of IREC, 2012.\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EProf. Alejandro P\u00e9rez-Rodr\u00edguez, of the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC). Image courtesy of IREC, 2012.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose developing CIGS solar cells may do without indium, however. CIGS has almost the same structure as a class of crystalline materials known as kesterites, which can contain chemicals such as copper, zinc, tin, selenium, and sulphur \u2013 and no indium.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESCALENANO has made a kesterite solar cell by electrodeposition that has a 6 % efficiency. The technology is in its infancy, but already other projects funded by FP7 are seeing whether the efficiency can be pushed beyond 10 %, to compete with silicon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Kesterites are very similar to CIGS,\u2019 said Edgardo Saucedo, a scientist at IREC who is coordinating the project Kestcells to develop kesterite technology. \u2018This is a clear advantage, because all the previous know-how acquired in CIGS can be easily transferred to our work.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most interesting peculiarities of kesterites, according to Saucedo, is that to obtain the best solar cells, the materials are grown with a slight zinc excess and copper deficiency. But this leaves a layer of zinc selenide or sulfide on the surface, reducing the solar cell\u2019s efficiency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, in a study published this month, Saucedo and colleagues have shown that the zinc-selenide layer can be safely removed through application of potassium permanganate\u0026nbsp;and other common chemicals. The development raises the potential for kesterite as a solar-cell material, the researchers say.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We expect that during this process we will discover new exciting properties of kesterites,\u2019 said Saucedo. \u2018As a result, we\u2019ll be able to place the efficiency of our devices with other, mature thin-film technologies. And \u2013 why not? \u2013 end up revolutionising the low-cost, thin-film photovoltaic world.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EUnder the EU-funded NACIR project, scientists are testing the efficiency of tiny, concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) modules. 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