In the mid-1880s, Charles Fritts built the first solar cell formed by selenium coated with a thin layer of gold and with an energy efficiency of 1%. However, it was not until 1954 that Bell Labs discovered accidentally that would be the first commercial solar cell, with silicon as the base. (more…)

So-called thin-film photovoltaic devices are usually based on mixtures of elements other than silicon — most notably copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) — applied in a thin layer to plastic, even organic, components. Using nanotechnology and advanced materials science, thin film is able to produce power with a fraction of the materials. Similar techniques are being tried using ultra thin layers of silicon on a glass substrate, reducing what is now a 250 - micrometer (um) - thick wafer to less than 20 um. (more…)

Photovoltaic solar energy once part of industrial phase are absolutely necessary to cut down its production costs for meaningful photovoltaic implementation in the multi energy sources. According to Reuter’s reports the prices of crystalline solar panels have declined from the 4.2 USD / Wp to the current 2USD/Wp. (more…)