This comprehensive report gives a thorough analysis of printed and thin film photovoltaics and batteries.

The report covers companies, research institutes and universities that are active in developing and commercialising thin film technologies for photovoltaics and batteries. Photovoltaic technologies covered include CIGS, CdTe DSSC, a-Si and organic photovoltaics. Learn how these technologies, each at a different stage of development and adoption, are driven forward by both government and leading companies in the field.

Materials and devices are covered, as well as manufacturing techniques, focussing on various high speed printing technologies that can be utilised.

Silicon photocells are seen in many places but the technology is limited. Crystalline silicon will never give tightly rollable devices let alone transparent ones or even low cost power generation on flexible substrates. Fortunately there are many new alternatives. Proprietary nano-particle silicon printing processes are developed by companies such as Innovalight and Kovio and they promise many of the photovoltaic features that conventional silicon can never achieve. Also, new materials and deposition techniques promise high performance, lightweight flexible solar cells.

Amorphous silicon technologies also offer a thin film alternative at a lower cost but unfortunately lower efficiency.
Technologies beyond silicon
First Solar's technology, based on CdTe cells, is the first major success on non-silicon platforms. However, a lot of work on the next generation of PV is directed towards deposition onto low cost flexible substrates and ultimately common packaging materials.

Competing technologies include:
CIGS
DSSC
Organic PV
Q-Si

Several companies, universities and research institutes are hard at work in different stages of these technologies with large scale plants built across the globe.
Printing Techniques: Adoption and commercialisation
Along with other manufacturing techniques, printing (or printing-like) technologies are gradually being adopted (Nanosolar, G24 Innovations in the PV sector; Power Paper, Solicore and Thin battery technology in the batteries sector), as they can be considered to be some of the fastest, least expensive and highest volume manufacturing techniques. With printed electronics becoming more prevalent, there is an increasing need for power to supply them; printing is amenable to a large number of different types of devices with the possibility of integration (e.g. to provide onboard power etc.)

This report provides a comprehensive list of each of the thin film photovoltaic and battery technologies. Compiled and analysed by Dr Harry Zervos, technology analyst with Company, company profiles are given along with 10 year forecasts for the growth of the market share of these technologies. Dr Bruce Kahn, consultant and academic, gives a thorough analysis of the science and technology behind thin film photovoltaics and batteries, as well as a comparison of different high-speed printing techniques.

This report is vital for those wishing to understand the companies, technologies, challenges and forecasts of photovoltaics beyond crystalline silicon.

. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1. Photovoltaics beyond crystalline silicon
1.2. 2008-2011 recap- Forecasts to 2022
1.3. Photovoltaics - the Macroeconomic View
2. INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE
2.1. Thin Film Photovoltaic Forecasts
2.2. Battery Forecasts
3. BATTERIES
3.1. Introduction
3.2. History
3.3. Structure
3.4. Key Products in Printed Batteries Industry
3.5. Principles and Operation
3.6. Supercapacitors supplement or rival batteries?
3.7. Thin Film Batteries - key companies
3.7.1. Blue Spark Technologies Inc.
3.7.2. Cymbet Corporation
3.7.3. Enfucell
3.7.4. Excellatron
3.7.5. Infinite Power Solutions (IPS)
3.7.6. Nanotecture
3.7.7. Power Paper
3.7.8. Solicore
4. PHOTOVOLTAICS
4.1. Introduction
4.2. History
5. COMPANY PROFILES BY TECHNOLOGY
5.1. Principles and operations
5.2. Amorphous/nanoparticle Si
5.2.1. Introduction-Brief Description of technology
5.3. Amorphous /nanoparticle Si - Key Companies
5.3.1. Flexcell
5.3.2. Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
5.3.3. Innovalight
5.3.4. Kaneka
5.3.5. Mitsubishi Heavy industries
5.3.6. Sharp
5.3.7. SONTOR GmbH
5.3.8. United Solar Ovonic
5.4. CdTe
5.4.1. Introduction-Brief Description of technology
5.5. CdTe Key Companies
5.5.1. Abound Solar
5.5.2. Calyxo
5.5.3. First Solar
5.5.4. PrimeStar Solar (now part of GE)
5.6. CIGS - CIS
5.6.1. Introduction - Brief Description of technology
5.7. CIGS - Key Companies
5.7.1. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.
5.7.2. Avancis
5.7.3. Bosch Solar CISTech (previously Johanna Solar)
5.7.4. DayStar Technologies
5.7.5. Global Solar Energy
5.7.6. HelioVolt
5.7.7. Honda Soltec Co., Ltd.
5.7.8. IBM
5.7.9. Miasolé
5.7.10. Nanosolar
5.7.11. Odersun
5.7.12. Solar Frontier (previously Showa Shell Sekiyu)
5.7.13. Solibro
5.7.14. Solyndra
5.7.15. Soltecture (previously Sulfurcell)
5.7.16. Würth Solar
5.8. DSSC
5.8.1. Introduction-Brief Description of technology
5.9. DSSC - Key Companies
5.9.1. Dyesol
5.9.2. G24 Innovations
5.10. Organic Photovoltaics
5.10.1. Introduction - Brief Description of technology
5.11. Organic Photovoltaics - Key Companies
5.11.1. Heliatek
5.11.2. Konarka
5.11.3. New Energy technologies
5.11.4. Solarmer
5.12. Research Institutes/Universities involved with thin film photovoltaic technologies
5.12.1. AIST - National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
5.12.2. Arizona State University
5.12.3. Colorado State University
5.12.4. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
5.12.5. Florida Solar Energy Centre
5.12.6. Fraunhofer ISE
5.12.7. Helsinki University of technology (TKK)
5.12.8. IMEC
5.12.9. Imperial College London
5.12.10. Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
5.12.11. KAIST - Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
5.12.12. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
5.12.13. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
5.12.14. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
5.12.15. University of Delaware - Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC)
6. APPLICATIONS
6.1. Applications of printed batteries
6.2. Batteries
6.2.1. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
6.2.2. Smart Cards
6.2.3. Iontophoretic Devices
6.2.4. Other Devices
6.3. Photovoltaics
6.3.1. Building integrated solar electric power
6.3.2. Solar Chargers
6.3.3. Military applications
6.3.4. Other applications
7. FUTURE TRENDS AND FORECASTS FOR PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
APPENDIX 1: PRINCIPLES AND OPERATION OF DSSCS AND ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS
APPENDIX 2: MATERIALS
APPENDIX 3: PRINTING/PATTERNING TECHNIQUES
APPENDIX 4: IDTECHEX PUBLICATIONS AND CONSULTANCY