Non-active materials -- components of a solar panel that don't play a role in converting light to electricity -- can hellp reduce overall module cost and play a role in effiency, according to a new Lux Research report.
Called "Driving Down Solar Costs: Non-active Material Opportunities," the report examines new and incumbent non-active materials technologies such as metallization, antireflection (AR) coatings, encapsulants, and transparent conducting oxide (TCO) replacements. As module efficiencies improve, so does the value proposition of large-area AR and TCO coatings. With higher efficiency, a given cost per square meter translates into a lower cost per watt at high efficiency.
More information:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Lux-Research-1038240.html