Thin-Film Photovoltaic Partnership - Apollo (R) Thin Film Process Development: Phase I Technical Report, May 1998--April 1999

The objective of this Phase 1 subcontract was to establish an efficient production plating system capable of depositing thin-film CdTe and CdS on substrates up to 0.55 m2. This baseline would then be used to build on and extend deposition areas to 0.94 m2 in the next two phases. The following achievements have been demonstrated: a) Chemical-bath deposition of CdS and electrochemical deposition ofCdTe was demonstrated on 0.55 m2 substrates. The films were characterized using optical and electrical techniques, to increase the understanding of the materials and aid in loss analysis; b) A stand-alone, prototype CdTe reaction tank was built and commissioned, allowing the BP Solar team to perform full-scale trials as part of this subcontract; c) BP Solar installed two outdoor systems forreliability and performance testing; d) The 2-kW, ground-mounted, grid-connected system contains seventy-two 0.43-m2 Apollo? module interconnects; e) Two modules have been supplied to NREL for evaluation on their Performance and Energy Rating Test bed (PERT) for kWh evaluation; and f) BP Solar further characterized the process waste stream with the aim to close-loop the system. Currently,various pieces of equipment are being investigated for suitability of particle and total organic compound removal.