Table 1 Comparison of three PV generation systems
Technology generation | Efficiency | Cost | Commercialization | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
First generation | High | High | Yes | Silicon wafers such as single-crystalline, multi-crystalline, and amorphous silicon |
Second generation | Low | Low | Yes | Thin film materials such as amorphous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, or copper indium selenide |
Third generation | High | Low | No (Lab scale) | Emerging or novel materials such as dye-sensitized solar cells, colloidal quantum dots, perovskite, and organic solar cells |