Thin-film solar cells are a type of solar cell made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin films or TFs) of photovoltaic material onto a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the. . thin-film solar cell Thin-film solar cells, such as those used in solar panels, convert light energy into electrical energy. Student at West High School, Iowa City, Iowa. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of. . Thin-film solar panels are made of very thin layers of photovoltaic materials, making them extremely lightweight and sometimes even flexible. You'll find them primarily used in industrial and utility-scale solar projects because they require a lot of space to generate the same amount of electricity. . Thin film solar cells have shown its dominancy over crystalline silicon solar cells in terms of cost, flexibility and ease of fabrication. Light that is incident on (in most cases) the silicon wafer – the so-called absorber – is captured and releases negative and positive charge carriers within the material. ” These solar cells have a very thin layer of thickness (few. .