Economic assessment of a-Si and CIS thin film solar PV technologies in Ghana

Thin film solar photovoltaic technologies contribute significantly to PV installations annually. Although thin films have lost market share in recent years, they have nonetheless grown at a robust rate of 24% between 2004 and 2014. Advantages such as lower cost per watt, ease of manufacturing, lower materials consumption among others continue to interest installers and developers. In this paper, we use performance and financial data from two 4 kWp thin film technologies - Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) and Copper Indium disulfide (CIS) - installed at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana to conduct a comparative techno-economic analysis. The cost and performance of a-Si results in a LCOE of €0.28/kWh compared with €0.41/kWh obtained for CIS. At installed cost of €3601.95/kW and €3576.25/kW for a-Si and CIS respectively, both technologies, however, do not compare favourably with existing tariffs on grid-based electricity for the non-residential sector - which pays the highest tariffs. Investment support of 63% and 44% would be required for CIS and a-Si respectively to be competitive with grid for the commercial sector.