Embodied energy of Sliver® modules

Abstract

Sliver® solar cells, invented and developed at the ANU, allow a reduction in the consumption of silicon by a factor of 5 to 12 compared with state of the art conventional crystalline silicon modules, resulting in a decrease in the number of wafers that need to be processed to produce a kW rated system by a factor of 15 to 30. Both of these features reduce the embodied energy of Sliver® modules. We have calculated an energy payback time of 1.5 years for Sliver® modules compared to 4.1 years for conventional crystalline silicon modules. The equivalent greenhouse gas emissions embodied in Sliver® modules also compares favourably to emissions from fossil fuel sources used for the generation of electricity in Australia. Show more