Just last month the solar industry was set abuzz by news that Solar Junction, a Silicon Valley concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) startup, had produced a multi-junction solar cell operating at 40.9 percent efficiency. The latest news is that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has verified the company’s production cell at an even more impressive 41.4 percent efficiency.
Why is this a big deal? While similar efficiency levels have been achieved by larger manufacturers like Boeing and Emcore, Solar Junction’s rapid efficiency gains are quite remarkable for a company that is just 4-years-old. In addition, the Solar Junction cells appear to be readily manufacturable. The company plans to start rolling out these new high-efficiency solar cells in early 2012.
Multi-junction solar cells are a type of photovoltaic cell that is more efficient than standard silicon cells. While most silicon cells operate at around 15-20 percent efficiency, multi-junction cells are more than twice as efficient. These cells are made up of several layers of thin film and each layer captures some of the solar energy as it passes through the cell. More captured energy means more electrical output.
These multi-junction cells fit into concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) collectors, which use tiny mirrors and lenses to concentrate the light onto the cells. New CPV solar cells are able to concentrate light 1,000 times, a 100 percent increase over CPV collectors made just two years ago. Solar Junction projects that their multi-junction cells will achieve greater than 50 percent efficiency by 2016.
Will CPV be able to keep up with conventional solar panels on a cost-per-watt basis? That still remains to be seen. New developments in low-cost PV may mean that flat-panels remain the more attractive choice with consumers, even with higher-efficiency options on the market. Even so, CPV may find growth in areas where efficiency is paramount.
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