Forecast to 1995

TL;DRAbstract

There are, at present, five commercially productive PV materials technologies. These are: single crystal silicon; concentrators; ribbon/sheet; cast ingot; and, amorphous silicon. Each of these processes appears capable of providing economically competitive products through 1995. Silicon is the principal energy conversion material used in PV in 1985, about 265 metric tons of silicon - about 10% of the semiconductor-grade material produced - was used to manufacture some 10 megawatts of PV modules. It appears that there will be an adequate supply of this high-purity silicon to meet PV requirements through 1995. The cost of semiconductor-grade silicon is a major component of module costs. The price of the poly crystalline from which now sells for about $60 per kilogram, is expected to decline to $40 (in 1985 $) per kilogram by 1995. The prices of PV systems, expressed as dollars per watt of generating capacity, made by any of the five processes, will continue to decline as the result of im

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