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Crystalline silicon feedstock for solar cells

The generation of electricity with solar cells is considered to be one of the key technologies of the new century. Over the past ten years the photovoltaic (PV) industry has grown by more than a factor of five to approximately 200 MWp in the year 2000. This impressive growth is mainly based on solar cells made from crystalline silicon. One of the key factors for this growth has been the supply of economically priced silicon from the semiconductor industry. This paper gives an overview on the current silicon feedstock supply and outlines a supply and demand scenario for the next five years. The importance of better silicon utilization per Wp module power through thinner Si wafers and higher solar cell efficiency is stressed. The impact of a growing thin‐film technology on the silicon feedstock demand is considered as well. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.