Abound Solar is a leading manufacturer of next-generation, thin-film solar photovoltaic modules. Utilizing a proprietary, semiconductor deposition process, Abound Solar produces low-cost, high-performance solar modules from its manufacturing facility in Colorado.

Our mission is to transform the way the world is powered by delivering renewable, abundant and universally affordable energy. We are focused on producing solar modules for large commercial and utility-scale installations to reduce the cost of producing electricity and be competitive with fossil fuels.

Competitive advantage

Abound Solar modules are based on the latest cadmium telluride thin-film technology and offer substantial advantages over conventional crystalline silicon modules. Because they use substantially less semiconductor material, Abound Solar modules can be made at a significantly lower material cost and with a fraction of the labor content of crystalline modules. In addition, Abound modules perform better in high temperature and low-light operating conditions, delivering higher electricity output per rated watt of capacity compared to any other PV technology.

Abound Solar’s competitive advantage in CdTe

Abound Solar’s competitive advantage is based on its proprietary semiconductor deposition process developed over decades at the Colorado State University with support from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The closed-space sublimation process used by Abound results in greater uniformity, lower costs, and lower energy consumption than other alternatives currently in use. This leads to greater reliability for Abound’s customers as well as a significantly faster energy payback period of only 5 months. In addition, Abound Solar modules are designed for recyclability. With every sale, Abound Solar sets aside sufficient funds to cover the cost of module recycling at end-of-life back into usable glass and semiconductor compounds.

Efficiency

Abound is currently ramping up to commercial production of solar modules delivering approximately 10% efficiency.

CdTe production share

Because of pricing pressures in the market for PV modules, lower cost products such as those based on CdTe technology are expected to gain significant market share in 2009. Some market projections target 5-6 GW of solar PV installations for 2009. CdTe could conceivably take 15% of that global market. As CdTe is typically deployed in large commercial and utility-scale projects, the market share within those segments is substantially higher.

2009 projects

Abound Solar has already announced long-term supply agreements with two major integrators: juwi solar and Wirsol Solar. The company will be working with them and other partners to deploy Abound modules worldwide.