IBM and TOK announced the joint development of new CIGS solar cells

May 13 news, IBM and the Japanese semiconductor processing enterprises of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo (TOK) jointly announced a joint development of highly efficient solar energy technology, clean energy to reduce production costs.

This is the big technology companies to enter the emerging field of photovoltaic solar energy products the latest action, photovoltaic solar energy in sunlight into electricity at the same time, will not release pollutants. IBM will contribute to battery manufacturers in the technology, while TOK will provide their own in the semiconductor and LCD panel technology coating.

The two companies aim to develop thin-film solar modules will enable the doubling of the efficiency of technology. IBM R & D department that they are not in the solar module production business to cooperate, but we hope in the next 2-3 years will be technology licensing to manufacturers. He said that they have in the negotiations photovoltaic manufacturers.

The two companies will cooperate in the development of 15% of sunlight into power a new type of copper indium gallium selenide solar energy (CIGS) cells, CIGS cells can only be translated into the current 6-12% of the light. Is estimated that 90% of the photovoltaic solar energy devices to the use of silicon into solar energy, this technology is higher than the efficiency of CIGS, the sun more than 20% conversion rate. However, these cells than thin-film photovoltaic cells thick, limiting the scope of application, at the same time in recent years due to the price of silicon up, is also higher than the cost of thin-film photovoltaic cells.

May. 13, 2009