Instead, unbreakable thin-film PV is produced using amorphous silicon, encapsulated in Teflon and other polymers.Thanks to pioneering work by Steve Heckeroth, a Mother Earth News contributing editor and the director of building-integrated photovoltaics for Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics, this thin-film PV is now available in easily shippable, 16-inch-wide rolls.