Review of technological and economic considerations in solar-cell manufacturing route, encapsulation and system design

A survey of work on terrestrial solar photovoltaic installations using silicon solar cells is presented, and three main areas are discussed. First, the possible processing routes for cell manufacture are considered and conclusions arrived at for the lowest-cost route. Secondly, cell encapsulation is considered with reference to the environmental stresses that an encapsulated module must withstand. Thirdly, the computation of installation parameters for minimum cost is described, an installation being defined as a stationary array of modules in conjunction with a rechargable battery.