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US: New CIGS PV roadmap announced

Three photovoltaic industry executives have been chosen to lead a new U.S. CIGS PV Roadmap. The aim is to create a national plan for the CIGS industry in order to boost its competitiveness.

SunPower’s founder, Richard Swanson has been chosen by PVMC to serve as a co-chair.

SunPower

The U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC), an industry-led collaboration based at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany in New York, announced the news in a statement today. It is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative.

Lawrence Kazmerski, director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), former MiaSole CEO, Joseph Laia, and SunPower’s founder, Richard Swanson have been chosen by PVMC to serve as co-chairs. In their new positions, they will be expected to direct the activities and decisions of the Roadmap Executive Steering Committee (RESC), and guide working groups.

The main goal is to develop and grow CIGS (copper indium gallium (di)selenide) photovoltaic manufacturing processes in the U.S. Overall, six areas will be addressed: roll-to-roll; rigid glass; metrology; modules and packaging; substrates and materials; and reliability, certification, and testing.

In the statement, it was said that the roadmap aims to "provide a congruent plan for the national CIGS industry, including module and systems manufacturers, suppliers, and end-users, that will identify common challenges and define the areas of technical developments needed to sustain and advance a competitive U.S. photovoltaic industry."

Laia added, "The National CIGS PV Roadmap effort is a vital initiative, bringing together all sectors of the photovoltaic industry to identify critical challenges and coalesce industry direction and market leadership."