Well, it’s apparently not a done deal yet, but it’s close enough that Solar Junction has released an announcement about the deal. “Silicon Valley-based Solar Junction, a developer of high-efficiency multi-junction solar energy cells for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market, is in contract negotiation along with IQE – the leading global supplier of semiconductor wafers – for the development of next-generation satellite solar cells for the European Space Agency,” that press release stated.
If you’re not familiar with Solar Junction, it has set record after record for solar cell efficiency, using innovative multi-junction technology.
The first time I wrote about the company, it had set a solar cell efficiency record of 40.9%. Since then, it has broken its own record a few times, getting up to 44% efficiency today.
Naturally, panel space is is precious out in… outer space. So, while the tradeoff between efficiency and price may not yet make Solar Junction competitive in residential, commercial, and utility markets; it apparently does in space markets.