Only5mins! – Thin-film solar researcher discusses future of CIGS

The future outlook for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells is bright, due to recent R&D achievements and efficiency gains, according to Ayodhya Tiwari, head of laboratory at Switzerland’s Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). CIGS has already shown its value in building-integrated PV applications, but as production volumes increase in the years ahead, ground-mount plants and big utility-scale installations could also become feasible, says Tiwari.