Emerging and Innovative Approaches in Photovoltaics It’s time to reinforce and reshape R&D efforts to speed-up the PV business NOW IS THE TIME FOR INNOVATION! 2012 - 2013 was a tough time for most PV manufacturers, as they faced difficulties due to strongly decreasing market prices resulting from an overcrowded market and high total manufacturing overcapacities. During this period the industry was focused on securing short-term sales, and there was little investment in new equipment and R&D activities. But now the PV market is showing signs of renewed optimism. Investors are renewing their interest in PV start-up companies developing emerging PV technologies and applications. Equipment makers are finding new opportunities in equipment sales, either to increase production capacity in existing facilities or to build new ones. Big players, especially in China, are increasing their acquisition activities in order to secure a competitive advantage. All of these developments open new opportunities for R&D funding, and the possibility to transfer R&D achievements into an industrial environment. At the same time, the increased performance and decreasing cost of PV components and systems will allow for new applications and wider use of PV technology for electricity generation. PHOTOVOLTAICS: WHERE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION? Although photovoltaics (PV) has reached a relatively high level of technological maturity, with many PV products commercially available today, strong efforts are underway to develop new solar cell technologies, to improve the performance of existing ones and to develop new applications for solar cells. In this report, the PV industry’s main technology and market trends are presented, and the suitability of different PV technologies (crystalline silicon, CIGS, organic PV, etc.) for various applications is analyzed - with a focus on existing potential for further innovations. For most conventional applications, where PV serves solely to generate electricity, it’s difficult to compete with continuously improving crystalline silicon technology, which dominates the PV market (>85% market share). Therefore, most developers of alternative PV technologies are focused on other PV functionalities (flexibility, color, low-light performance, indoor light performance, etc.) and on alternative application segments. Moreover, tandem and multijunction hybrid approaches, such as a multijunction solar cell, are also being studied. The large number of process steps in PV product manufacturing provides great potential for innovative solutions: by avoiding, replacing, improving or adding process steps and materials used, a combination of many “small” improvements can lead to better performance and lower manufacturing costs. More information on that report at http://www.i-micronews.com/reports/Emerging-Innovative-Approaches-Photovoltaics/5/441/

1. © 2014
Emerging and innovative
approaches in photovoltaics
It’s time to reinforce and reshape the R&D efforts to speed-
up the PV business
75 cours Emile Zola, 69100 Lyon-Villeurbanne, France
Tel: +33 472 83 01 80 - Fax: +33 472 83 01 83
Web: http://www.yole.fr
Heliatek Ascent SolarOxford Photovoltaics Schmalz Titan AerospaceSoitecREC

2. © 2014• 2
Scope of the report
• The number of the technology and business approaches on all levels of the PV
value chain is extremely large.
• The present report focuses on the wafer, cell and module parts of the PV
technologies.
• Nevertheless, the reflection about PV technology and market trends is based
on a global technology and applications development, thus including also:
– The whole PV system costs ($/Wp, $/kWh…)
– Requirements on different PV applications
– Competing PV and non-PV approaches providing similar value proposition as a
given PV technology/product.
• This enables a very objective analysis of the applicative potential for a given
technology approach and to understand the pros&cons of various innovative
approaches in their global context.

3. © 2014• 3
Objectives of the report
• To provide an overview of the main PV technologies and PV applications.
• To identify and analyze customers’ criteria of choice for a specific PV product.
• To provide an exhaustive overview of current technology trends in the PV
development.
• To identify where are the opportunities for innovation and their key factors
for success.
• To clarify how to match the technology pull with the expectations of end
users.

4. © 2014• 4
Who can be interested in purchasing this report?
• Investors willing to get a rapid and synthetic overview of main drivers and barriers for
different PV technology approaches in order to better understand the current and future
value of the companies – potential investment targets.
• Large companies planning investment or having invested in solar R&D or start-up
companies. The PV market has significantly evolved in the last years and learning about the
driving forces for those changes and most common origins of business failures will help
them to adapt their technology and business development strategies.
• R&D laboratories which have to react on continuously evolving industrial environment and
accordingly adapt their R&D strategy plans.
• R&D labs and industrial players looking for the right start-up companies to partner with.
• Start-up companies – to understand better the PV industrial environment and to identify
the potential competitors and partners as well as the alternative issues for the
commercialization of their technologies.
• Companies willing to find new business opportunities by diversifying their application
portfolio into or outside of PV market.

5. © 2014• 5
PV = a big opportunity for innovations
Large volume market. Growing trends.
• A large variety of PV applications
• 35+ GWp annual market in 2013. A strong growth is expected for 2014. New
manufacturing facilities are planned and under construction.
• 130+ GWp cumulative market
• PV market features a continuous growth since the last 30 years.
Sustainable market
• Growing electricity needs
• Numerous inherent advantages of PV compared to other electricity sources
Large potential for improvement
• Relatively high costs and low PV conversion efficiency
• Large variety of different technologies and applications
• Complex manufacturing process based on many steps
• Intermittent electricity generation

6. © 2014• 6
Although photovoltaics is sometimes considered as a mature technology, it still has large
potential for further improvement - on cost, performance and functionality levels.
Is PV a mature technology?
PV as a non-mature technology
• Large variety of PV technologies in production
and under development
• Novel approaches may lead to significantly
higher efficiency compared to existing products
• Still large potential for cost decrease
• Continuous efficiency increase and cost
decrease observed
• Upstream of PV manufacturing still to be
largely improved
PV as a mature technology
• Strong technology consolidation observed
during the last 2 years
• Crystalline silicon dominates the market
covering >85% of demand on PV modules
• PV has been successfully used in many
applications
• PV is being accepted as a renewable source
with a strong potential for electricity
generation in the future
• High-end product efficiency in production close
to record-lab cell efficiencies
• High reliability (proven namely by satellite and
remote applications) and lifetime over 25 years
reached for most products
• R&D trends: Upstream (wafer/cell/module) 
Downstream (system, O&M…)
Still a lot of place for
innovation!

7. © 2014• 7
• The need for a real “Application pull” has been often neglected in the PV technologies
development.
• Yole identified 10 main origins of unsuccessful business related to technologies / products (other
than manufacturing costs, available manufacturing capacities, geopolitical reasons, etc.):
1. Considering PV as a local business
2. Overestimation of customers’ demand for some markets / technologies
3. Neglecting the customer’s perception of value proposition for a given technology/product
4. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. Neglecting the effect of a “moving target”
7. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
8. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
9. Innovation non-compatible with the whole production process up to the final product
10. Overestimation/underestimation of the influence of environmental aspects on the business
development & product sales
Important remark: An innovation ‘’failure’’ is always related to a given time. The regulation, customer needs,
technologies available, and other technology and market factors may evolve in time and make successful the
innovation which ‘’failed’’ in the past.
A potential for high performance, low manufacturing costs or novel product
functionalities is often hard to be transferred into a reality.
The 10 most common origins of innovation
failures – Overview

8. © 2014• 8
• Main R&D topics
– Fluid dynamics
– Safety improvement
• Alternative application
– Microelectronic industry (in the case of
electronic grade polysilicon quality)
Description: Instead of using seed rods (most commonly used Siemens process) for polysilicon production, FBR
uses seed granules of purified silicon. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Polysilicon produced by Fluidized Bed Reactor
(FBR) process
Overview
Strengths
• Continuous process
• Lower polysilicon costs thanks to
lower energy consumption
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Cost reduction of ingot production
(better crucible filling and shorter
process time, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Weaknesses
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Safety issues (risk of explosion)
• Difficult scaling of process due to
change of fluid dynamics with
reactor size
Opportunities
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Approaches to reduce polysilicon-
ingot processing costs are
intensively researched
Threats
• Continuously improving Siemens
process
Development stage in 2014 R&D Prototyping PV module prototyping Production
Expected start of industrial production < 5 years 5-10 years >10 years
c-Si, c-SiTF a-Si CIGS CdTe OPV DSSC III-V Other
FBR process and resulting granular polysilicon mixed
with chunks made by Siemens-process
RECSiliconASA

9. © 2014• 9
Silicon heterojunction technology
Supply Chain
c-Si, c-SiTF a-Si CIGS, CZTS CdTe OPV DSSC III-V Other
• Japanese Panasonic is the leader in silicon heterojunction technology. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Other
Module
Cell
Wafer/Substrate
Material
Equipment
R&D lab Start-up Large industrial company

10. © 2014• 10
Flexible PV
Supply Chain
Other
Module
Cell
Wafer/Substrate
Equipment
Material
R&D lab Start-up Large industrial company /
governmental agency
• Despite low demand on flexible PV products, many players are somehow involved in flexible PV business. There are two reasons for this:
1. Many players consider PV as additional business opportunity: organic material suppliers, roll-to-roll equipment makers, printing
equipment makers, suppliers of flexible substrates (metal/ultra-thin glass/plastic), suppliers of encapsulation and barrier materials
2. Large variety of PV technologies (a-Si, CIGS, OPV, DSSC…) and technology approaches (MOCVD, sputtering, printing…) enabling the
realization of flexible cells ( and many start-up companies developing flexible PV approaches.
c-Si, c-SiTF a-Si CIGS CdTe OPV DSSC III-V Other
X
Past
players
No
commercially
available
product
XX X
X X
Nexcis
X
X
X

11. © 2014• 11
Ultra-thin silicon wafers
Why an alternative to standard wire sawing is researched
c-Si, c-SiTF a-Si CIGS CdTe OPV DSSC III-V Other
• Typical sizes: 156 mm x 156 mm (6’’) and 125 mm x 125 mm (5’’) ; Typical thickness range: 160 µm – 220 µm
• Today, the industrial manufacturing of crystalline silicon solar cells is based exclusively on wafers produced by sawing from the single crystal ingots
or multicrystalline bricks. Solar wafers used at the beginning of the PV mass production had the thickness of about 300 µm. The typical solar wafer
thickness is currently 160-220µm.
• Silicon wafer represents a large part of total PV module cost and is responsible for a large amount of electricity consumed and CO2 produced. The
wafer costs is related to:
– Material costs: purified silicon (polysilicon)
– Processing costs: ingot growth & sawing process
– Material losses during the sawing: kerf losses
Ingot Growth Cut Bricks Grind and Polish Bricks Sawing
Feedstock
(polysilicon)
Ingot Wafer Solar cell PV module
Pre-cleaning/ Singulation / Cleaning
Crystalline silicon Photovoltaic value chain and process flow for manufacturing of standard silicon solar wafers
PV system

12. © 2014• 12
Semitransparent PV modules
Three different approaches to get a semitransparent PV module
Dilemma: High light absorption (and thus higher PV efficiency) vs. high transparency
Currently, there are three approaches to realize the semitransparent PV modules:
• The semitransparency is usually obtained by an increased spacing between the cells (crystalline silicon PV) or
by partially removed material in the active area (in the case of thin film modules). Therefore such “modified”
PV module have lower efficiency compared to conventional (opaque) modules.
• The PV products based on “naturally” transparent PV technologies (Organic solar cells, DSSC cells, very thin
amorphous silicon layer…) feature low efficiency and in most cases also very short life time.
Three different approaches to realize semi-transparent PV modules
Yole Développement
c-Si c-Si CIGS
Amorphous Si
Removed material in the (opaque) cell
active area
Increased spacing between opaque cells Partially transparent cell
Organic PV

13. © 2014• 13
Manufacturing costs, Efficiency & Lifetime: All three key criteria must necessarily
approach the “green zone”
How to get novel solar cell approaches into
industrial production
High
Low
Low
Low
High
High
EfficiencyCosts
Lifetime / reliability
For some rare niche
applications, a
proposition value
associated with other
parameters (aesthetics,
light weight…) can be
also considered.

14. © 2014• 14
According to Yole analysis, the innovations which lead to the improvement of existing PV
technologies have the largest potential for a successful industrialization.
Different approaches to decrease improve the existing PV technologies by the changes within the manufacturing line.
Yole Développement
Where is the place for innovations?
2. Improvement of an existing PV technology
2. Improvement of an
existing PV technology
Process step 1
Existing manufacturing line
Process step 2 Process step 3 Process step 4
Replaced
equipment
Added
equipment
Equipment
upgrade
Improved
incoming material
(wafer)
Improved materials or processes
Input
material
Final
product

15. © 2014• 15
As it is very difficult to develop a new technology having advantage of either lower
production costs or higher efficiency, most players focus on the development of
technologies with novel features, such as color, transparency, mechanical flexibility, etc.
Where is the place for innovations?
1c) New PV technology with novel features
1. New PV technology
Low cost
High efficiency
Color
Flexibility
Transparency
High
performance
at low-light
conditions
High
performance
in hot climate

16. © 2014• 16
Large
companies
Start-up
R&D
To be accepted by the industrial environment, the value proposition of a novel PV technology
approach has to match the market requirements and conditions and a novel PV application has to
match the existing PV technologies.
The understanding of how to match the Technology PUSH and Market PULL is crucial to success in PV innovation
Yole Développement
How to succeed with PV innovation
Technology PUSH vs. Market PULL
Users
O&M
Installation
Project
Developme
nt
Funding
Materialsuppliers&Equipmentmakers
Externalconditions(legislation,market
conditions…)
Technology PUSH Market PULL

17. © 2014• 17
• BAPV - Building-Applied Photovoltaics - are applied on the roof of the building on top of the
existing roofing elements and have no additional functionality apart from electricity production.
• BIPV - Building-Integrated Photovoltaics: photovoltaic materials that are used to replace
conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or
facades.
Focus on BIPV
BIPV & BAPV
The main objective of BIPV is to reduce the total installed costs!
BIPV costs PV costs +< Building elements costs
Cost of BIPV modules is crucial!
• BIPV solution must provide a clear added value (over the whole period of the BIPV project,
typically >20 years):
– Installation costs and complexity
– Preventive and reparative maintenance costs and complexity
– System performance, reliability and life time
– Safety
– Aesthetics, etc.
<

18. © 2014• 18
Compared to a “PV source”, a higher price can be acceptable for a “PV solution”.
Therefore, the developers of new PV technologies often focus on applications of those technologies in PV solutions.
PV Source vs. PV Solution
PV Source
The electricity produced by a PV system is here
typically supplied to the grid and used to supply
divers electrical appliances.
Key Features
• PV system size not correlated to electricity needs
• PV system aesthetics not very important
• PV is only as one of the divers electricity sources (gas
turbine, wind generator…) and the price of electricity
generated by PV has to compete with the prices of
electricity from other sources.
• Standard products used
• Mainly large-size systems
• Huge market potential
PV Solution
The PV system is designed to power a specific
appliance and is often an integrated part of it.
Key Features
• PV system size and properties adapted to a given
application
• Often based on custom-made PV products
• Mainly small-size systems
• Aesthetic look often desired by customers
• Higher system price can be acceptable
• Mainly niche markets

19. © 2014• 19
PV in Automotive Industry
PV Systems as part of vehicle
PV-powered Low-Speed
Vehicles (LSV)
PV vehicle value proposition
Ascent Solar
PV car roof to supply the power to
pre-ventilation system
Fisker Karma
PV roof as an additional electricity source for HEV/EV
vehicles
Customized Toyota Prius
Cruise Car, Inc.
Key market drivers:
• Strengthening CO2 - emission
regulation
• Growing electricity demand for
ancillaries in cars
• “Green image”…

20. © 2014• 20
The investment in technology approaches applicable also in other PV or non-PV products
helps to some extent to lower the investment risk.
How to reduce the risk related to investment
into PV technology approaches? (1/3)
Ultra-thin wafers mfg.
techniques
Crystalline silicon solar cells
• Sapphire thin wafers for LED
• III-V wafers for very high-efficiency solar cells
• Silicon wafers for power electronics
• Implantation tools for semiconductor processing
• Temporary/permanent bonding (LED, PV, electronics…)
• …
Printing equipment &
techniques
Selective emitters for c-Si
• OLEDs
• Printing electronics
CIGS Organic PV DSSCCZTS
Organic material &
deposition equipment
(ink-jet, slot-die…)
Organic PV
• OLEDs
• Organic electronics
• Organic CMOS

21. 2012 - 2013 was a tough time for most PV
manufacturers, as they faced difficulties due
to strongly decreasing market prices resulting
from an overcrowded market and high total
manufacturing overcapacities. During this period
the industry was focused on securing short-term
sales, and there was little investment in new
equipment and R&D activities.
But now the PV market is showing signs of
renewed optimism. Investors are renewing their
interest in PV start-up companies developing
emerging PV technologies and applications.
Equipment makers are finding new opportunities
in equipment sales, either to increase production
capacity in existing facilities or to build new ones.
Big players, especially in China, are increasing
their acquisition activities in order to secure a
competitive advantage.
All of these developments open new opportunities
for R&D funding, and the possibility to transfer
R&D achievements into an industrial environment.
At the same time, the increased performance and
decreasing cost of PV components and systems
will allow for new applications and wider use of PV
technology for electricity generation.
Although photovoltaics (PV) has reached a
relatively high level of technological maturity, with
many PV products commercially available today,
strong efforts are underway to develop new solar
cell technologies, to improve the performance of
existing ones and to develop new applications for
solar cells.
In this report, the PV industry’s main technology
PV Innovations
Emerging and Innovative Approaches in Photovoltaics
NOW IS THE TIME FOR INNOVATION!
PHOTOVOLTAICS: WHERE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION?
Market & Technology Report
REPORT OUTLINE
• Title: Emerging and Innovative
Approaches in Photovoltaics
• June 2014
• Market Technology Report
• PDF Excel file
• €5,990 - Multi user license
(225+ slides)
• €3,990 - One user license
(225+ slides)
KEY FEATURES OF THE REPORT
• Overview and segmentation
of PV technologies and PV
applications
• Analysis of the customers’ key
criteria for photovoltaic products
• Analysis of the main origins of
innovation failures
• Identification of opportunities
for innovations in the PV
industry
• Innovation profiles: insight into
some innovative PV approaches
RELATED REPORTS
• Thin Film Photovoltaics: CIS/
CIGS Technology Market
• Thin Wafers Temporary
Bonding Equipment Materials
Market
• Flexible Applications Based on
Printed Electronics Technologies
• OLED for Lighting
Find all our reports
on www.i-micronews.com
It’s time to reinforce and reshape RD efforts to speed-up
the PV business
PV market technology choice: past vision and today’s reality
(Yole Développement, June 2014)
(Yole Développement, June 2014)
A large number of process steps in PV product manufacturing provide considerable
potential for innovative solutions by avoiding, replacing, improving or adding process
steps and materials
Simulation / Experiments
Handling
Materials
Equipment
Process
Materials
Equipment
Process
Handling Handling Handling
Materials
Equipment
Process
Materials
Equipment
Process
Input
material
Process
step 1
Process
step 2
Process
step N
Final PV
device
Final system /
application
ModuleEfficiency
Low Medium HighManufacturing cost
30%
20%
16%
12%
Increasing
efficiency
Decreasing
price
All application
areas
PV mainstream
crystalline silicon
Thin films
CIGS, CdTe, amorphous
silicon...
OPV,
DSSC
OPV,VV
DSSC
PV mainstream
crystalline silicon
(historical technology)
OPV, DSSC...
The development of any
alternative or emerging technology
faces strong competition from
well-established,
rapidly-improving c-Si
Vision
from the
past
Today’s
reality
Concentration
PV (III-V)
High-Concentration
PV (III-V)

22. Emerging and Innovative Approaches in Photovoltaics
To succeed at PV innovation, many criteria must
be fulfilled and critical mistakes must be avoided.
Based on an analysis of technology push and end-
users’ needs, the main approaches to successful
photovoltaics innovation are identified in this report.
Also, the 10 main causes of innovation failure are
presented. Although many technology developers
focus on novel PV functionalities, PV module
technology maturity, efficiency and system costs
are still the most common criteria of choice for PV
products.
As detailed in this report, the criteria of choice -
such as flexibility, transparency, color aspects and
low-light performance - do not currently provide a
proposition value high enough to develop a significant PV market.
Numerous RD and industrial minds (and even dreamers too) have, throughout the decades of PV development,
considered virtually all possible PV applications. As such, it’s very difficult to invent a completely new PV
application. Therefore, new PV applications will most likely be based on old ideas and concepts made possible
because of innovative technology approaches or new PV technologies.
Innovation success depends on many technology and market-related factors. An understanding of market
pull is thus extremely important. PV has reached a relatively high level of technological maturity and is now
application-driven. It is the customer, not the technology developer, who decides the necessary product
specifications and the best technological approach to reach the target.
An accurate estimation of total accessible market, the identification of the customer’s needs, and potential
applications for a given technology approach are crucial to finding the right partners, investors and customers.
With plenty of existing technologies and products, some innovations encounter difficulties in becoming cost-
competitive within the PV market. However, these innovations can sometimes be successfully applied in
other (non-PV) applications, such as LED, OLED, compound semiconductors, printed electronics, flexible
electronics and CMOS sensors. Therefore, a global understanding of technology-application relationships and
market trends is very helpful for PV innovators and investors.
• To provide an overview of the main PV technologies and PV applications.
• To identify and analyze customers’ key criteria for a specific PV product.
• To provide an exhaustive overview of current technology trends in PV development.
• To identify innovation opportunities and the key factors for success.
• To clarify how to best match technology pull with end users’ expectations.
COMPANIES CITED IN THE REPORT (non-exhaustive list)
3M, Airbus, AIST, Aixtron, Amtech, Ascent Solar, Alta Devices, Applied Materials, Astronergy, Astrowatt,
Bandgap Engineering, Beneq, BerkenEnergy, Bloo Solar, Canadian Solar, CEA, Choshu Industry, CrayoNano,
crystalsol, CSEM, DRAPER Laboratory, ECN, Ecole Polytechnique, EMPA, Encapsulix, EPFL, First Solar, Flisom,
Fraunhofer ISE, Fraunhofer CSP, GCL, Georgia Tech, Hanergy, Heliatek, Helmoltz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), ibs,
imec, IMRE, INES, JAXA, Jusung, JX Crystals, Kaneka, Intevac, Lund University, MiaSolé, MBraun, Merck,
Meyer Burger, MIT, NASA, NREL, NTNU, Oxford Photovoltaics, Panasonic, PGE, RDECOM, REC Silicon,
REC Solar, Samsung, Samsung Fine Chemicals, SERIS, SiGen, Sigma-Aldrich, Silevo, Singulus, SMP, Soitec,
Solar Frontier, Solarforce, Solaren, Solarion, Solexel, SolVoltaics, SunEdison, SunFlake, Suniva, SunPartner
Technologies, Sunpower Corporation, Terra-Barrier Films, Tethers Unlimited, Total, UCLA, Veeco.
HOW TO SUCCEED AT PV INNOVATION?
OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT
Main approaches to PV innovation
(Yole Développement, June 2014)
and market trends are presented, and the suitability
of different PV technologies (crystalline silicon, CIGS,
organic PV, etc.) for various applications is analyzed
- with a focus on existing potential for further
innovations.
For most conventional applications, where PV
serves solely to generate electricity, it’s difficult to
compete with continuously improving crystalline
silicon technology, which dominates the PV market
(85% market share). Therefore, most developers
of alternative PV technologies are focused on
other PV functionalities (flexibility, color, low-light
performance, indoor light performance, etc.) and on
alternative application segments. Moreover, tandem
and multijunction hybrid approaches, such as a
multijunction solar cell, are also being studied.
The large number of process steps in PV product
manufacturing provides great potential for innovative
solutions: by avoiding, replacing, improving or adding
process steps and materials used, a combination
of many “small” improvements can lead to better
performance and lower manufacturing costs.
Innovative approach
1. New PV technology
a) Lower costs b) Higher efficiency c) Novel features
2. Improvement of an
existing PV technology
3. Innovative PV
application

23. Market Technology Report
• Introduction 6
• Scope of the report 7
• Executive summary 11
• Key messages for a PV innovation
developer 37
Advantages and disadvantages of PV -
overview sources of business
opportunities for innovations!
Variability of the electrical power supplied
by a PV system
PV = a big opportunity for innovations
Overview of main PV technologies
Comparison of different PV technologies
Ideal PV technology/device
The crystalline silicon PV wins - PV market
technology choice: past visions and today’s
reality
Large variety of PV applications
PV Source vs. PV Solution
Examples of PV solutions
Is PV a mature technology?
PV = application-driven market
New manufacturing facilities = opportunity
for transfer of innovations to the industry
• Insight into some innovative technology
approaches 57
Description of Yole’s innovation profile
List of innovation profiles
Yole’s positioning of the featured innovative
approaches
Higher efficiency lower manufacturing
costs
Market traction time-to-market
Polysilicon produced by the Fluidized Bed
Reactor (FBR) process
Perovskite solar cells
ThermoPVs (TPV)
Nanowire-based solar cells
Flexible PV
- Overview
- Why go “flexible”?
- How many flexible devices do we need?
- Requirements
- How to get flexible?
- How to develop the flexible business?
- Flexible PV cell module developers
and manufacturers - split by technology
and deposition method
- Flexible PV - supply chain
Encapsulation and barrier technology
solutions for flexible PV
Silicon heterojunction technology
Ultra-thin silicon wafers
Ion-implanted-emitter c-Si solar cell
Invisible transparent PV
Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP)
• PV technology and market 109
Extraordinary 2000-2013 PV market growth
Comparison of PV with nuclear power
Peak-power and yearly electricity
production
Disadvantages of PVs
PV is a “surface-related” technology
“Business after business” opportunity
• Overview of PV technologies 121
Solar electricity generation - three
competing system technologies at a glance
PV system approaches - PV CPV
PV technologies - overview of active
materials used in solar cells
PV technologies - focus on different
substrates
Main PV product categories
- Rigid photovoltaics
- Flexible cells flexible modules
Industrial module efficiencies
Overview of PV technologies - potential for
non-conventional applications
PV technologies - state-of-the-art
Development status for different PV
technologies - rigid flexible
PV technologies - comparison of flexible PV
technologies – pros cons
Semitransparent PV modules - three
different approaches to creating a
semitransparent PV module
Semitransparent PV modules - are OPV
modules really transparent?
• Overview of PV applications 139
Classification of PV applications
- Ground-mounted PV plants
- Horizontal roofs
- Pitched roofs
- Facades
- Semitransparent roofs and facades
- Applications in transport
- Applications in urban systems
- Consumer applications
- Military applications
- Special applications
Focus on BIPV
- BIPV BAPV
- Why does BIPV remain a niche market?
Which technology for which application?
• Where is the potential for innovations? 155
- Criteria for a PV technology/device choice
- Why is crystalline silicon PV so successful?
- Where are the opportunities for
alternatives to crystalline silicon PV?
- Innovation vs. technology breakthrough
- What are the necessary conditions for
successful innovation?
- How to succeed with PV innovation
- The key criteria for getting novel cell
approaches into industrial production
- How to get novel solar cell approaches into
industrial production
- The 10 most common origins of innovation
failures – overview
1. Considering PV as a local business
2. Overestimation of customer demand for
some markets/technologies
3. Neglecting the customer’s perception of
value proposition for a given technology/
product
4. Underestimating competing alternative
(including non-PV) solutions
5. Large PV market potential is not equal to
large PV market potential for a specific
technology/product
6. Neglecting the “moving target” effect
7. Dependence on “temporary opportunity
windows”
8. Underestimation of technological complexity
for new PV approaches
9. Innovation non-compatible with the whole
production process up to the final product
Example of ultra-thin wafers
10. Underestimation/overestimation of
environmental issues
- Concluding remarks
Diverse strategies to success
Trends towards higher PV conversion
efficiency
Many process steps = many opportunities
for innovation
Example of the crystalline silicon PV value-
chain
Where is the place for innovations?
- New PV technology
1. Available at lower manufacturing costs
2. With higher PV conversion efficiency
3. With novel features
- Improving an existing PV technology
1. Where is the potential for improvement?
2. Catching up the technology lead?
- Is there still a place for innovation in PV
applications?
Examples of unusual PV applications
PV electricity production for clean mobility
PV in the automotive industry
More potential applications = lower RD
and business development risk
How to reduce the risk related to
investment in PV technology approaches?
• PV RD activities and main players 218
What is the best time for innovation?
Do we need public funding for “mature”
technologies?
Main PV RD institutions
Large companies with strong PV RD
• Conclusions 224
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR
Dr. Milan Rosina is Technology and Market Analyst for photovoltaics, LEDs, compound semiconductors and nanotechnologies.
Dr. Rosina received his Ph. D. in 2002 from the INPG in France. Before joining Yole Développement, he worked as a research
scientist and a project manager in the fields of photovoltaics, microelectronics, LED and nanotechnology. He has more than 15
years of scientific and industrial experience with prominent research institutions and industrial companies, and his expertise
includes new equipment and process development, technology due diligence, technology and market surveys and elaboration
of technology roadmaps. He is also co-author of two issued patents in the field of solar cell processing.

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Seller, in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALES