Considering that one of the main disadvantages of CIGS is the price of indium and gallium, existence of a cheaper alternative CZTS keep the investors from investing into CIGS production lines and wait for CZTS to gain more plausibility?
How long do you think it will take that CZTS will overtake and CIGS will step down as a technology?
Considering that, would you as an expert still advice an entrepreneur to invest into a CIGS production?
I don't think I would invest in any new solar technology just now. The price of silicon is so low compared to all the other costs of a properly implemented solar system that it no longer dominates as it used to. The thrust now must be to integrate the solar panels into the roof so that users of solar energy don't have to pay for, in effect, two roofs where one would do. The solar technology is largely dominated by silicon - it is cheap and widely available and easy to use.
Dear Asliddin,
welcome,
If there is well approved technology, it will not be substituted completely by a new technology except when the new technology has a distinct advantage against the old technology. Here as Tony said the concurrence is not only with the old ternary thin film solar cells but also with new silicon bases thin film technology based on photonic crystals and single crystal Si-solar cells provided with intrinsic amorphous silicon for surface passivation and heavily doped amorphous sinlicon emitter layers. I think this emerging technology will beat the other thin film technologies because of the very high environment stability leading to long lifetime.
So, you can yourself follow the evolution of CZTS solar cells.and if there is serious efforts for their commercialization. I think even if they are commercialized they will substitute CIGS bit they will coexist as the materials can be obtained as a secondary product of other existing industry.
This is not a direct answer but some thoughts which may shed the light on the issue.
Best wishes
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