The Potential Application of Amorphous Silicon Photovoltaic Technology in Hong Kong

The use of fossil fuels to generate electricity has already been identified as a major contributor to global warming and climate change. Many countries have already made plans to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and increased the contribution of renewable energies in total energy supply. One of the commonly used renewable energy sources is the sun and the use of photovoltaic cells to convert solar radiation into electricity is rapidly expanding throughout the world. Photovoltaic cells available in the commercial market can be classified into two main categories crystalline silicon cells and thin-film cells. Crystalline silicon cells are generally more popular than thin-film cells as they have been developed and in use for over 20 years. However, the demand for modern amorphous thin-film cells is increasing in recent years due to their low embodied energy resulting in a substantial saving in manufacturing cost. Furthermore, amorphous thin-film cells are lightweight, flexible and vandal resistant which made them particularly suitable to be used in buildings. Some overseas researches suggest that thin-film cells perform better in low irradiance and high temperature conditions. Coupling with the fact that flexible amorphous thin-film laminates are more aesthetically pleasing than their predecessors. The technology shows a great promise for the future. The paper will explore the potential application of adopting amorphous thin film technology as an integral part of building design and construction. The likely performance of amorphous thin-film cell operating under typical local conditions will also be discussed in the paper.