Jan 31 2011
HelioVolt proclaimed that the company’s Monolithic modules have undergone rigorous accelerated lifetime testing and completed them with results indicating degradation rates lower than the typical module performance by one or two orders of magnitude to pass IEC and UL certification.
These thin film PVs are built using the company’s CIGS manufacturing process, which is developed for producing high efficiency modules. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, (NREL) had corroborated that the conversion efficiency for HelioVolt’s monolithic module of size 1.2 x 0.6 meters was 11.8%. The company had invested substantial resources for providing modules with industry leading capabilities in field performance and reliability. These products could now be treated as a yardstick for their maximizing energy generating capacities with bare minimum energy costs.
HelioVolt rooftop array
According to Jim Flanary, the CEO of HelioVolt, who was formerly the COO of First Solar, First Solar should be given the credit for developing thin-film modules, which were capable of delivering utility solar power at reasonable costs, and with the advent of the next generation of monolithic thin film solutions, focus should be on enhancing the high efficiency and the low cost of CIGS operations and deliver even more higher reliability standards and field performances.
The company has also developed a test site at its factory’s rooftop in Austin where in-the-field performance would be tested along with the accelerated lifetime testing. This testing facility would evaluate and compare the performance of avant-garde thin film modules and the conventional multi-crystalline silicon modules developed by various manufacturers. HelioVolt has been comparing the performance of the company’s modules with other competitors’ products. The test site demonstrates the company’s meticulousness to make sure that thin film modules were both reliable and viable. The company is planning to participate in two events one on 16th February at the Photon’s Thin Film Conference and the other event conducted between 26th and 27th January at the SPIE Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits XIII Conference and present product updates in them.