Global Solar Energy

The company uses copper indium gallium diselenide to produce CIGS cells, which achieve up to 19.9% efficiency in laboratory samples,I. Repins, M. A. Contreras, B. Egaas, C. DeHart, J. Scharf, C. L. Perkins, B. To, and R. Noufi., 19.9%-efficient ZnO/CdS/CuInGaSe$_2$ solar cell with 81.2% fill factor. and production cells of about 10.5 to 11 percent average efficiency.{{cite web |url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/heliovolt-hits-122-efficiency-885.html |title=HelioVolt Hits 12.2% Efficiency : Greentech Media |publisher=Greentechmedia.com |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2009-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503120221/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/heliovolt-hits-122-efficiency-885.html |url-status=live }} This type of solar cell is ideal for portable power and is 1.5 to 2X greater in performance than comparable thin film flexible solar materials.{{cite web |url=http://www.scottevest.com/v3_glossary/solarpanels.shtml |title=SCOTTEVEST/SeV - Gear Management Clothing - Solar Panels |publisher=Scottevest.com |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2009-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609151749/http://scottevest.com/v3_glossary/solarpanels.shtml |url-status=live }}

Global Solar Energy opened in 1996, and in 2008 finished another phase of development as it expanded its CIGS production to a new 40 MW facility in Tucson, Arizona and a second 35 MW facility in Berlin, Germany.{{cite web |url=http://www.compoundsemi.com/documents/articles/gsedoc/9796.html |title=Documents |publisher=Compound Semiconductors Online |date=2008-03-09 |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720115706/http://www.compoundsemi.com/documents/articles/gsedoc/9796.html |url-status=live }}

The company expects to produce 20 megawatts of the films at the plant in 2008 before ramping up to 40 megawatts of capacity in 2009 and 140 megawatts by 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/qa-global-solar-vps-dish-thin-film-details-718.html |title=Q&A: Global Solar VPs Dish Thin-Film Details : Greentech Media |publisher=Greentechmedia.com |date=2008-03-21 |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2008-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225230417/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/qa-global-solar-vps-dish-thin-film-details-718.html |url-status=live }} This makes Global Solar the largest full-scale manufacturer of CIGS thin-film photovoltaics.

Global Solar Energy operates the largest CIGS solar electric array in the world, a 750 kW system located at the company's manufacturing facility in Tucson.{{cite web |url=http://www.solarindustrymag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2222 |title=Solar Industry: Content / Projects & Contracts / World's Largest CIGS Solar Array Operational In Arizona |publisher=Solarindustrymag.com |date=2008-12-03 |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2009-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811021650/http://www.solarindustrymag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.2222 |url-status=live }} Part of the energy harnessed by this array is being purchased by the factory itself.{{cite web |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Worlds-Largest-CIGS-Thin-Film/story.aspx?guid=%7B63742D63-1F40-4BBC-9D5D-09A11EC66379%7D |title=MarketWatch.com |publisher=MarketWatch.com |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2008-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220110548/http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Worlds-Largest-CIGS-Thin-Film/story.aspx?guid=%7B63742D63-1F40-4BBC-9D5D-09A11EC66379%7D |url-status=live }}

{{Main|List of CIGS companies}}

With the advances in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) technology in recent years, and the falling cost of the polysilicon feedstock, that followed after a period of severe global shortage, pressure increased on manufacturers of commercial thin-film technologies, including amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), leading to the bankruptcy of several companies.{{cite web |url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/01/how-thin-film-solar-fares-vs-crystalline-silicon |title=How thin film solar fares vs crystalline silicon |work=RenewableEnergyWorld.com |date=2011-01-03 |access-date=2015-07-29 |archive-date=2015-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165153/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/01/how-thin-film-solar-fares-vs-crystalline-silicon |url-status=live }} Some current competitors are:

• Siva Power, a US Department of Energy awarded company that is operating in San Jose, CA.
• GSHK Solar has noted that it can produce CIGS cells with a 12.5 percent and an average efficiency of 10 percent in full production efficiency.{{cite web |url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/nanosolar-creates-largest-thin-film-tool-1023.html |title=Nanosolar Creates Largest Thin-Film Tool : Greentech Media |publisher=Greentechmedia.com |access-date=2010-04-02 |archive-date=2009-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428145728/http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/nanosolar-creates-largest-thin-film-tool-1023.html |url-status=live }}
• IBM has reported 12% efficiency for its CIS solar cells.{{cite journal|doi=10.1021/cm901950q|title=12% Efficiency CuIn(Se,S)₂ Photovoltaic Device Prepared Using a Hydrazine Solution Process†|year=2010|last1=Liu|first1=Wei|last2=Mitzi|first2=David B.|last3=Yuan|first3=Min|last4=Kellock|first4=Andrew J.|last5=Chey|first5=S. Jay|last6=Gunawan|first6=Oki|journal=Chemistry of Materials|volume=22|issue=3|pages=1010}}

• First Solar
• Miasolé

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• {{Official website|http://www.globalsolar.com/}}{{deadlink|date=October 2021}}

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Category:Thin-film cell manufacturers

Category:Companies based in Tucson, Arizona

Category:Engineering companies of the United States

Category:Solar energy companies of the United States