Sam Stranks, a physicist at the University of Cambridge, thinks adding a perovskite layer to traditional solar panels could boost their efficiency by 20% or more, lowering the cost of solar power even further.
Swiss engineers report they have created a new solar cell with 36.4% efficiency — a new world record. They claim their cell will be competitive with conventional solar systems.
A new solar cell efficiency record has been set by China’s Trina Solar Limited, which announced that its new p-type multi-crystalline silicon solar cell has achieved a solar conversion efficiency of 21.25 percent according to the results of third-party testing. Greater efficiency does not necessarily translate into lower costs, but the manufacturing method is based […]
First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of thin-film solar photovoltaic cells and modules, has bettered its record of producing the most efficient solar cell. The US-based company recently announced that a cell manufactured at its Ohio manufacturing factory and research & development center achieved an efficiency of 21%, the highest on record by a non-concentrating […]
JA Solar has reported that it has achieved a record 18.3% efficiency for a standard 156×156 mm2 multicrystalline solar cell. This was verified by Yangzhou Opto-Electrical Products Testing Institute. This is twice as efficient as my solar panel. Solar cell and solar panel efficiency isn’t as big an issue as some have made it out to be. […]
I recently ran across this interesting graph on reddit: The title of the article in which the graph was housed (similar to mine above) was: “Solar Energy: This Is What A Disruptive Technology Looks Like.” I think the graph is pretty clear — while the price of retail electricity, residential natural gas, and crude oil […]
Another day, another scientific advancement in solar technology. This one is from the University of Illinois: “When designing next generation solar energy conversion systems, we must first develop ways to more efficiently utilize the solar spectrum,” explained Lane Martin, whose research group has done just that. “This is a fundamentally new way of approaching these […]
If I was a gambler, I’d put some of my money on First Solar (and, to be honest, I’m thinking about it). Some of its latest big announcements, which I’ll discuss in more detail below, include: crushing the world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module conversion efficiency (bringing the record up from 14.4% to 16.1%); […]
A total of fifty-four startups have participated in the SunShot Incubator program since it began back in 2007, and 10 new startups have joined the seventh incubator program launched this month. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, who funds the program, “the Incubator program provides early-stage assistance to help startup companies cross technological barriers to […]
Black-silicon solar cells with 18.2% efficiency have been created by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). These don’t need extra anti-reflection layers (like typical solar cells do), which should help to significantly lower the cost of solar energy. The specially designed nanostructured surface ensures that the light-generated electricity is […]