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Growth in the Renewable Energy Sector, Particularly Solar Energy
There is a growing global momentum towards developing sustainable energy sources to replace fossil fuels and reduce carbon footprint. Among the various renewables, solar energy is leading this shift with rapidly falling costs and rising installations worldwide. For instance, according to data from the International Energy Agency in 2023, the renewable energy supply from sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and ocean energy increased by nearly 8% in 2022. This growth contributed to a rise in the share of renewable energy in the total global energy supply, which climbed by approximately 0.4 percentage points to reach 5.5%. This upward trend highlights the expanding role of renewable energy in the global energy landscape and underscores the ongoing transition toward more sustainable energy sources. However, increased harnessing of solar power also depends on advancement of the technologies and materials that go into making solar panels more efficient, durable and economical.
A key process in the manufacturing of crystalline silicon solar cells is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). It is used to deposit films of silicon, silicides and oxides on silicon wafers that form the core p-n junctions and passivation layers. As the solar industry aims for higher conversion efficiencies above 25%, precision in CVD film properties and interfaces becomes important. At the same time, industrial scale production requires deposition systems with high throughput and reproducibility. CVD manufacturers are addressing this through innovations like larger reactors, novel gas delivery systems and advanced process control. Meanwhile, solar cell designs are diversifying into new materials like perovskites as well as concentrating multiple p-n junctions in a single cell. CVD variants like ALD play a role here by enabling nano-scale depositions needed for these next generation designs.
In addition, photovoltaic modules also require anti-reflection coatings, conductors, encapsulants and glass substrates, some or all of which may employ CVD during their production. Furthermore, energy storage solutions, another critical area for transition to renewables, utilizes CVD deposited thin films in applications like batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. As solar, wind and other sustainable resources are being rapidly scaled up globally to play a bigger role in our energy mix, they will propel the continued growth and development of the chemical vapor deposition industry to support their manufacturing and long-term reliability needs.
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