Experts to share insights on the status and potential of emerging photovoltaic technology

Advances in commercially manufactured thin-film solar modules with a semiconductor made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) have been impressive of late. The industry's improvements in recent years will be the marquee topic when international experts convene at the ninth IW-CIGSTech workshop in Stuttgart on June 18, 2018. The current status of CIGS thin-film technology and what manufacturers, suppliers, mechanical engineering companies and research institutes can hope to achieve in future are to also feature prominently in these discussions. Organized by the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), this annual workshop caters to science, technology and industry experts.

CIGS technology has been remarkably successful of late with major module manufacturing and mechanical engineering companies entering the field. By the year's end, plants with a cumulative annual production capacity in the gigawatt range should be up and running. CIGS PV factories with an annual capacity of 500 to 1,000 megawatts will be able achieve module efficiencies of 18 and more percent at a manufacturing cost of around 25 US cents per watt.

CIGS modules deliver higher yields than conventional modules under low light conditions. They are better at handling shade. And with their streamlined look, they make for an attractive addition to roofs and facades. Researchers are also developing flexible, lightweight modules engineered to attain impressive levels of CIGS efficiency.

A leading international event focused on CIGS thin-film technology, the IW-CIGSTech workshop has been an annual fixture on the lecture circuit since 2010. Discussions and poster presentations by leading industry representatives and scientists also figure prominently on its agenda. The event culminates in a professionally moderated roundtable followed by an evening meet-and-greet get-together.

To learn more about the program and to register, visit www.iw-cigstech.org. The workshop takes place in the ZSW institute's building in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. The following day, participants will have the opportunity to visit the CIGS manufacturer NICE Solar Energy in Schwäbisch-Hall. They can then continue on to the Intersolar Europe trade fair in Munich, which is to open on the same day, or to the spring meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS), which is to run until June 22.