Research Articles

Enhancing 'sustainability' is a widely held aspiration within the electronics industry - realizing this transition is considerably more difficult. To this day, toxic chemicals, material waste, and energy-intensive processing are commonplace.

The new IDTechEx report, "Emerging Image Sensor Technologies 2023-2033: Applications and Markets", explores a diverse range of image sensing technologies capable of resolutions and wavelength detection far beyond what is currently attainable.

A new wave of electronics manufacturing is on the horizon, aiming to satisfy the increasing demand for sustainability and mitigate the impact of volatile energy prices. With the electronics industry accounting for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it requires substantial innovation to reduce its environmental footprint.

A new wave of electronics manufacturing is on the horizon, driven forward by volatile energy prices and increasing demand for sustainability. With the electronics industry accounting for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it requires substantial innovation to reduce its environmental footprint.

Thin film photovoltaics (PV) have historically played second fiddle, dwarfed by the multi-billion US dollar silicon PV industry. This may be about to change. Emerging PV applications, such as indoor energy harvesting and building integrated PV, have specific requirements that will enable thin film silicon alternatives to flourish.

IDTechEx's latest report, "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033", explores how the environmental impact of manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits (ICs) can be reduced through innovative materials choices and processing methods. This includes implementing low-temperature processing, eliminating superfluous wasteful steps, recycling and re-using materials where possible, and adopting novel approaches where the long-term potential is foreseen.

Photovoltaics is the fastest-growing energy source. Of the thin film PV technologies, cadmium telluride (CdTe) dominates. It is largely concentrated within the US, where it accounts for 40 % of US utility-scale PV power. In recent years, the commercial efficiency of CdTe panels has been playing a catch-up game with conventional silicon and is currently trailing by ~3 %. Efficiency, however, is not the only deciding factor.

Powering IoT devices in a cheap, sustainable fashion is crucial to achieve the promised vision of a connected world. Small, low-cost thin film solar cells, optimized to work with diffuse indoor light, offer a solution to this dilemma.

In the shadows of a silicon-dominated field, other photovoltaic (PV) technologies have been edging closer to the spotlight.

Perovskite PV is an exciting new solar power technology. The new report published by IDTechEx, "Perovskite Photovoltaics 2023-2033", explores the commercialization potential of perovskite PV and identify the challenges remaining.

IDTechEx's new report, "Perovskite Photovoltaics 2023-2033", explores the diverse range of opportunities presented by perovskite PV, including gaps in demand, supply chain innovation, and emerging applications.