New NanoMarkets Report Identifies the Key Opportunities for Tin in Photovoltaics

GLEN ALLEN, Va., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoMarkets, a leading industry
analyst based here, today announced the release of its newest report, "Tin
Markets for Photovoltaics," the latest from the firm's "Metals in PV" series
examining opportunities for various metals in the photovoltaics industry. This
report contains an analysis and market projections of tin-doped indium oxide
(ITO) and tin oxide (in some cases doped with fluorine or antimony), and other
related materials. Further details about the report and series are available
at www.nanomarkets.net.

Key Findings:

According to NanoMarkets' new report, the PV industry's tin consumption will
grow ten-fold over the next eight years, reaching over 91 metric tons (MT) in
2016. Driving this growth is the shift away from ITO as the transparent
conductor (which functions as front electrodes and sometimes back electrodes
as well) in favor of tin oxide -- a net gain for tin consumption because tin
oxide uses so much more tin -- as well as the rapidly growing demand for CdTe
PV cells, which relies on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). From virtually
nothing in 2000, tin oxide now accounts for nearly half of the overall TFPV
market for transparent electrodes. This growth is a result of the adoption by
First Solar, the dominant producer of CdTe PV cells, of tin oxide for its
front electrodes and its subsequent rapid growth, as well as a high level of
substitution of tin oxide for ITO in the a-Si PV segment.

NanoMarkets also expects a shift to different methods of depositing
transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films. This will impact the type of tin
materials used. The relative consumption of sputtering targets will decrease
in favor of nanoparticles for ITO inks, or tin precursor compounds for
chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of tin oxide. NanoMarkets expects printing and
CVD to represent 24 percent, or 21.9 (MT), of the total tin consumption for PV
in 2016.

About NanoMarkets:

NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in energy and
electronics markets. The firm has published numerous reports related to new
developments in power sources, electronic device and fabrication techniques
and electronics materials. NanoMarkets' research database is the industry's
most extensive source of information on thin film, organic and printable (TOP)
electronics. Visit www.nanomarkets.net for a full listing of NanoMarkets'
reports and other services.

SOURCE NanoMarkets

Robert Nolan of NanoMarkets, +1-804-360-2967, info@nanomarkets.net