ABSTRACT
The Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology continues to attract growing interest as a highly credible alternative to both standard silicon photovoltaics and the more recently developed thin-fi lm technologies. Prices for polycrystalline silicon panels have not decreased any further since mid 2004 and have plateaued just below US$ 5/Wp at the retail level [7.1]. In Europe, polysilicon module prices are forecast to decline to € 2.30-2.45/Wp in 2009, while CdTe modules are expected to be at about € 1.55/Wp. There is, of course, ongoing resistance among many green energy users to CdTe, and the aggressive pricing is thus a refl ection of that reluctance and the higher balance of systems cost. The price for polysilicon is expected to be only temporarily low due to the global fi nancial crisis and UMG-Si (Upgraded Metallurgical Silicon) is not yet considered viable. We note the comparison to the price touted by silicon PV industry sources of US$ 40-80/kg to achieve competitive module prices. It is further noted that China continues to produce mainly monocrystalline wafers of higher cost due to capacity limitations. Nevertheless, the photovoltaic production has doubled every two years, increasing by an average of 48 % each year since 2002, and rendering it the world’s fastest-growing energy technology. It is however apparent that, with the exception of where there are subsidised feed-in tariff arrangements, 2009 prices are too high for individual homeowners to install PV panels and to contribute at the individual level towards a more sustainable future due mainly to system costs and buy-back rates.
