Ten Years of Manufacturing R and D in PVMaT -- Technical Accomplishments, Return on Investments, and Where We Go Next

The Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Project has been conducting cost-shared R and D with industry for ten years. Objectives of this project are to improve photovoltaic manufacturing processes and products and to lower manufacturing costs. The majority of the efforts have been module related. Results in terms of automation, yield, and throughput have provided a significant reduction in direct manufacturing costs. Some of these results are detailed, and a measure of the return due to these efforts is discussed. Finally, technical directions for future activities are identified