Research and Development in the field of Solar Cell
Technology in Thailand
For the technologies group (1) and (2) which are commercially viable, the research and
development are in industrial level with the aim to reduce production costs (materials and
process), to improve efficiency, and to develop quality, durability, and longevity.
Technology group (1) : this technology has long been commercially available,
with established confidence in its quality. As a result, there are limited development
gaps among countries. There are rooms for development in cost reduction and quality
improvement in the industrial production process.
Technology group (2) : thin films Si has been produced and developed to some
extent in Thailand. Nevertheless, there remains considerable gaps for development choices.
As for CdTe and CIS/CIGS, they are technologies which deserve interest. CdTe is likely to be
the technology with the lowest cost per Watt at present. But there are a limited number of
producers and Thailand lacks dedicated researchers on this technology (there may be some
institutions giving interests in research on materials, but not in solar cell development).