July, 01, 2009
Today, SMA Solar Technology AG inaugurated its new solar inverter factory. With the inverter factory, SMA is extending its production capacities to four gigawatt and is continuously expanding its successful strategy of flexibility. In the opening speech Chief Executive Officer Günther Cramer pointed out that the new facilities were setting a new trend in terms of CO2 neutral fabrication sites.
About 500 guests attended the inauguration ceremony. Silke Lautenschläger, the Hessian Minister for Environment, Energy, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, gave the official speech.
SMA's new inverter factory which has already been producing since March of this year, is setting new standards in every respect: an annual production capacity of up to four gigawatt on 18,000 square meters make it the world's largest solar inverter factory.
The new factory has the lowest possible energy requirements together with the highest efficiency of consumed energy. Among other standards the building thus complies with the low-energy building concept. In addition, a reduced energy consumption of the production and testing facilities is achieved through efficiency measures in the production process. An optimal use of daylight, intelligent ventilation as well as the use of storage units for heating and cooling complement the energy and building concept.
The electricity and heat demand is covered by renewable energy sources: an integrated PV system with a power of around 1.1 megawatt and a combined heat and power plant fueled with bio-gas generates CO2-neutral electricity. "Green electricity" is additionally purchased in order to cover the total energy consumption of the production facilities. In the long run the CO2 balance will be zero by installing additional photovoltaic systems nearby.
The required heat is produced with the biogas-powered combined heat and power plant. At the same time, the waste heat coming from the compressor for the air powered tools and the lifting gear is utilized for the heating system. The additionally required heat demand is covered by using district heating from a nearby waste incineration plant.
Sufficient cooling is provided as well: an absorption refrigeration machine uses the heat of the combined heat and power plant for air conditioning.
In the new factory the process steps in the production have been completely re-designed in terms of efficiency. Entire production lines can be extended or reconfigured for other device types within shortest notice. This provides maximum flexibility in addition to the "just-in-time" production without warehouse.
"The inverters being the heart of every photovoltaic system already significantly contribute to an emission-free energy supply", Günther Cramer, Chief Executive Officer of SMA Solar Technology AG, explains. "With our CO2-neutral inverter production we even go one step further. Today we can show that an advanced production on industrial level can be done with a minimal environmental footprint. As the worldwide leading producer of solar inverters we now intend to initiate a trend towards CO2-neutral factories".
About SMA Solar Technology AG
With a turnover of more than 680 million euros in 2008, SMA is the global market leader for solar inverters, a central component of every solar power system. The SMA group is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented on four continents in ten countries. The group employs more than 3,000 people (including temporary employees). SMA produces a broad range of inverter types which offers suitable inverters for every photovoltaic module type used and for photovoltaic systems in all power ranges. The product portfolio includes inverters both for grid-connected photovoltaic systems and for stand-alone systems. Since June 27, 2008, the company has been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92), and since September 22, 2008, the company's shares have been listed in the TecDAX. In the past recent years, SMA was recognized several times with awards for its outstanding performance as an employer.
Source: SMA Solar Technology
Friday, July 10, 2009
Q&A - 'Space-based solar power could solve energy crisis'
Peter Garretson is a futurist and transformational strategist. He previously served as the chief of Future Science and Technology Exploration for the
What is space-based solar power all about?
Though solar energy is one of the most popular renewable energy sources, the cost of tapping the same has always been comparatively more because of its diluted form, seasonal variations and non-availability for more than half of the day.
SBSP overcomes these issues by placing the solar collector panels in a geo-synchronous orbit in space and have the solar power beamed to earth before converting it to useful electricity. Solar energy could be beamed to earth as radio waves or coherent light (LASER).
Just to understand the enormity of energy availability, a kilometre-wide band at a geo-orbit experiences enough solar flux in one year to nearly equal the amount of energy contained within all known recoverable conventional oil reserves on earth today. And it is 99 per cent uninterrupted through the year.
How about commercial viability?
Commercial viability is a big unknown, and will be so until power starts being delivered. There are many ideas and proposals in many places around the world, but no working prototype has ever been built and flown on orbit.
Many believe there is a need for additional technical development and risk-reduction. Clearly, there are some companies who are already quite confident about its commercial viability, as witnessed by the deal finalised a few weeks ago in
The California Power Utility has agreed to buy 200 MW of electricity from Pacific Gas & Electric Company from 2016, which would be generated from a space-based solar station.
How does SBSP compare with other conventional energy sources in terms of fighting greenhouse gas emissions?
Space solar life cycle CO2 is 60 times better than a conventional coal-fired power plant. It's by far one of the cleanest energy forms available. Space-based solar power is so promising that it could well be the answer to the world's energy crisis.
How could
Former president A P J Abdul Kalam has suggested that SBSP be made a national and international goal.
The Aerospace Society of India (AeSI) has called for a global aerospace and energy mission, and articulated the need for a directed academic, industry and government study, as well as consideration of a leadership role in an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-like experiment.
Some people i have talked with have mentioned putting it on the Indo-US strategic agenda as part of the renewable energy and space partnerships.
Source: The Times Of India
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Ascent Solar Exceeds 10% Module Efficiency Milestone
THORNTON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a developer of state-of-the-art flexible thin-film solar modules, today announced that it has achieved its initial target module efficiency goal of 10.0% for its flexible Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide (CIGS) monolithically integrated modules.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has independently verified that the modules measured as high as 10.4% in conversion efficiency. The modules tested at NREL were standard 429 cm2 modules produced by the company’s 1.5MW production line that was put into commercial production in the first quarter of 2009.
Dr. Prem Nath, Sr. Vice President of Production Operations for Ascent Solar, stated, “This is a significant breakthrough in demonstrating our ability to manufacture monolithically integrated flexible CIGS modules with greater than 10% module efficiency in commercial production. Ascent’s high-volume 30MW commercial plant is scheduled to commence initial production at the beginning of 2010. Module efficiency of 10.0% is a vital element for our low-cost-per-watt manufacturing goal in high volume and will establish Ascent Solar as a leader in the production of lightweight flexible photovoltaics used for portable power and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products.”
Dr. Harin S. Ullal, Senior Project Manager for the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, stated, “Ascent Solar has made progress in advancing the state-of-the-art flexible, lightweight thin-film CIGS PV technology. NREL has independently verified module conversion efficiency of more than 10.0% for several thin-film CIGS monolithically integrated modules deposited on flexible, lightweight plastic substrates.”
About National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development (R&D). NREL is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
About Ascent Solar Technologies:
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules with substrate materials that can be more flexible and affordable than most traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules can be directly integrated into standard building materials, space applications, consumer electronics for portable power or configured as stand-alone modules for large-scale terrestrial deployment. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colo. Additional information can be found at www.ascentsolar.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source: www.ascentsolar.com
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has independently verified that the modules measured as high as 10.4% in conversion efficiency. The modules tested at NREL were standard 429 cm2 modules produced by the company’s 1.5MW production line that was put into commercial production in the first quarter of 2009.
Dr. Prem Nath, Sr. Vice President of Production Operations for Ascent Solar, stated, “This is a significant breakthrough in demonstrating our ability to manufacture monolithically integrated flexible CIGS modules with greater than 10% module efficiency in commercial production. Ascent’s high-volume 30MW commercial plant is scheduled to commence initial production at the beginning of 2010. Module efficiency of 10.0% is a vital element for our low-cost-per-watt manufacturing goal in high volume and will establish Ascent Solar as a leader in the production of lightweight flexible photovoltaics used for portable power and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products.”
Dr. Harin S. Ullal, Senior Project Manager for the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, stated, “Ascent Solar has made progress in advancing the state-of-the-art flexible, lightweight thin-film CIGS PV technology. NREL has independently verified module conversion efficiency of more than 10.0% for several thin-film CIGS monolithically integrated modules deposited on flexible, lightweight plastic substrates.”
About National Renewable Energy Laboratory:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development (R&D). NREL is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
About Ascent Solar Technologies:
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules with substrate materials that can be more flexible and affordable than most traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules can be directly integrated into standard building materials, space applications, consumer electronics for portable power or configured as stand-alone modules for large-scale terrestrial deployment. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colo. Additional information can be found at www.ascentsolar.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source: www.ascentsolar.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
QuantaSol unveils 28.3% efficient single-junction solar cell World Record
QuantaSol unveils 28.3% efficient single-junction solar cell World record made public at UK’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Kingston-upon-Thames UK, June 30th 2009:
QuantaSol Ltd, a new independent designer and manufacturer of strain-balanced quantum-well solar cells, has developed what it believes to be the most efficient single junction solar cell ever manufactured. Developed in just two years, QuantaSol's single-junction device has been independently tested by Fraunhofer ISE as achieving 28.3% efficiency at greater than 500 suns.QuantaSol was established in June 2007 as a spin-out of Imperial College London to commercialise the University’s solar cell IP and offer devices to concentrator Photovoltaic (PV) systems developers. Imperial will be featuring a QuantaSol device as part of its presence at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London this week.
“Our technology is the industry’s best kept secret. This is the first time that anyone has successfully combined high efficiency with ease of manufacture, historically a bug-bear of the solar cell industry,” said Kevin Arthur, QuantaSol’s CEO. “We’re now gearing up to provide multi-junction cells of even higher efficiencies as early as Q1 2010.”
QuantaSol’s approach combines several nanostructures, of two or more different alloys, in order to obtain synthetic crystals that overcome the problems associated with current solar cell designs. It also greatly enhances the photovoltaic conversion efficiency.
The company, which has a development laboratory in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, completed a £2m second funding round last week. It will now concentrate on cutting the cost of ownership of solar energy by moving to multi-junction devices.
Source: http://www.quantasol.com/
Monday, July 6, 2009
First Solar goes for reduction in manufacturing cost
First Solar has indicated that its manufacturing cost has now fallen to 93 cents per watt, down 5% in three months and down 28% in a year.
By 2014, it expects to drive down cost per watt to make solar modules to fall to between 52 and 63 cents by 2014. The biggest driver of the lower costs is better efficiency, it said. Production per fabrication line is expected to nearly double over the next five years.
The company believes its ongoing focus on cost reduction enables continued growth even as subsidies decline.
Earlier this year, when the company had reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules to 98 cents per watt, it had mentioned that its ongoing improvement plans are to continue to drive the efficiency that helps drive costs down, drive the run rates of the factories, and then of course continuing to focus on the raw material costs as it purchases them. Its manufacturing costs have declined two-thirds from over $3 per watt to less than $1 per watt since First Solar began full commercial operation of its initial manufacturing line in late 2004.
In terms of performance this year, First Solar’s first-quarter profits more than tripled as the company inked numerous new power projects and cut its production costs. The company earned $164.6 million in the first quarter, compared with $46.6 million for the same period last year. Quarterly sales were $418.2 million for the three months that ended March 28, up from $196.9 million during the same period last year.
Source: Thin Film Today
Friday, July 3, 2009
World's Largest Solar Power Station Officially Inaugurated
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Jul 03, 2009
On 1 July 2009 the solar-thermal power station Andasol 1, located in the Spanish province of Granada in Andalusia, was officially inaugurated. At the present time, Andasol 1 is the largest solar power station in the world. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre were heavily involved in the development of key technologies and identified the most suitable location with the help of various tools, including satellite data.
They did this on behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company. In addition, their measuring methods contributed towards the precision design of the parabolic trough collectors.
Climate-compatible power for 200 000 people
Andasol 1 delivers climate-compatible power for 200 000 people. This makes it possible to cut annual emissions of carbon dioxide by 150 000 tons.
There are more than 600 parabolic trough collectors distributed over a total surface area of about two square kilometres, each of which measures 150 metres in length and 5.7 metres in width. These mirrors have a total surface area in excess of 500 000 square metres.
There is also a heat accumulator located in the centre of this gigantic solar field. Here, two giant tanks, measuring 14 metres in height and 36 metres in diameter, are used to store surplus energy during the midday period using liquid salt.
This salt is heated by solar power to temperatures of up to 390 degrees Celsius and this stored heat enables the power station to operate at full power (50 megawatts) for up 7.5 hours after the Sun has set - a key requirement for the future use of solar power stations.
As well as Andasol 1, the first commercially operated power station of its kind, plans are well underway for a further two solar power station at the same location. In the course of this year, Andasol 2 is scheduled to come on stream, also rated for a capacity of 50 megawatts. Andasol 3, also with a 50 MW rating, is expected to follow in the course of 2011.
DLR researchers tasked with finding the ideal location
On behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company, employees in the Solar Research department of the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics (Institut fur Technische Thermodynamik; ITT) at the Plataforma Solar de Almer�a research station located about 50 kilometres from the Andasol site were tasked with identifying a suitable location for the new solar power station.
One key decision-making indicator took the form of the statistical mean values calculated from many years of sunlight readings taken by the DLR from meteorological measurements at ground stations, and sequential satellite data.
Precision boosts energy yield levels
When setting up this system, it is also possible to use high-speed optical measuring processes developed by the DLR for precision production control of the parabolic collectors. Precise and well-aligned parabolic mirrors are able to boost the energy yield by up to 10%, and this makes a key contribution to the cost-effectiveness of a plant of this kind.
Development of the actual collector technology was aided by the DLR taking a leading role in several projects sponsored by the German Environment Ministry. This meant that the industrial partners were supported during the design and testing of collector prototypes and absorber tubes by DLR employees working at the Spanish test centre of Plataforma Solar de Almer�a, located in Almeria.
The total cost of this power station is somewhere in the region of euros 300 million. A key form of early assistance for the Andasol 1 power station was also forthcoming from the European Union, which contributed euros 5 million of funding aid for the preparation and accompanying scientific research. Power from concentrated solar energy
Andasol 1 is a solar-thermal power station and what is known as a parabolic trough power station. In this configuration, the concentrating mirrors take the form of a very long trough with parabolic cross section. The individual elements of this trough, the collectors, are rotated to track the Sun as it moves from east to west.
Sunlight falling on the collector is reflected onto a focal line, where the light energy is concentrated by a factor of up to 80. Absorber tubes run down this focal line.
These steel tubes, surrounded by an evacuated, insulating glass tube, have a special surface coating which is highly effective at absorbing solar radiation and converting it into heat. In this process, temperatures substantially in excess of 400 degrees Celsius are developed on their surface. An oil known as 'thermo-oil' flows through the centre of each steel absorber tube.
This oil is heated to almost 400 degrees, and the collected heat is then directed to a thermal transfer unit in which steam is generated at high temperature and pressure. As in conventional power stations, this steam is then used to drive a turbine that - linked to a generator - then generates electrical power.
Source: Solar Daily
On 1 July 2009 the solar-thermal power station Andasol 1, located in the Spanish province of Granada in Andalusia, was officially inaugurated. At the present time, Andasol 1 is the largest solar power station in the world. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre were heavily involved in the development of key technologies and identified the most suitable location with the help of various tools, including satellite data.
They did this on behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company. In addition, their measuring methods contributed towards the precision design of the parabolic trough collectors.
Climate-compatible power for 200 000 people
Andasol 1 delivers climate-compatible power for 200 000 people. This makes it possible to cut annual emissions of carbon dioxide by 150 000 tons.
There are more than 600 parabolic trough collectors distributed over a total surface area of about two square kilometres, each of which measures 150 metres in length and 5.7 metres in width. These mirrors have a total surface area in excess of 500 000 square metres.
There is also a heat accumulator located in the centre of this gigantic solar field. Here, two giant tanks, measuring 14 metres in height and 36 metres in diameter, are used to store surplus energy during the midday period using liquid salt.
This salt is heated by solar power to temperatures of up to 390 degrees Celsius and this stored heat enables the power station to operate at full power (50 megawatts) for up 7.5 hours after the Sun has set - a key requirement for the future use of solar power stations.
As well as Andasol 1, the first commercially operated power station of its kind, plans are well underway for a further two solar power station at the same location. In the course of this year, Andasol 2 is scheduled to come on stream, also rated for a capacity of 50 megawatts. Andasol 3, also with a 50 MW rating, is expected to follow in the course of 2011.
DLR researchers tasked with finding the ideal location
On behalf of Solar Millennium AG, the project development company, employees in the Solar Research department of the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics (Institut fur Technische Thermodynamik; ITT) at the Plataforma Solar de Almer�a research station located about 50 kilometres from the Andasol site were tasked with identifying a suitable location for the new solar power station.
One key decision-making indicator took the form of the statistical mean values calculated from many years of sunlight readings taken by the DLR from meteorological measurements at ground stations, and sequential satellite data.
Precision boosts energy yield levels
When setting up this system, it is also possible to use high-speed optical measuring processes developed by the DLR for precision production control of the parabolic collectors. Precise and well-aligned parabolic mirrors are able to boost the energy yield by up to 10%, and this makes a key contribution to the cost-effectiveness of a plant of this kind.
Development of the actual collector technology was aided by the DLR taking a leading role in several projects sponsored by the German Environment Ministry. This meant that the industrial partners were supported during the design and testing of collector prototypes and absorber tubes by DLR employees working at the Spanish test centre of Plataforma Solar de Almer�a, located in Almeria.
The total cost of this power station is somewhere in the region of euros 300 million. A key form of early assistance for the Andasol 1 power station was also forthcoming from the European Union, which contributed euros 5 million of funding aid for the preparation and accompanying scientific research. Power from concentrated solar energy
Andasol 1 is a solar-thermal power station and what is known as a parabolic trough power station. In this configuration, the concentrating mirrors take the form of a very long trough with parabolic cross section. The individual elements of this trough, the collectors, are rotated to track the Sun as it moves from east to west.
Sunlight falling on the collector is reflected onto a focal line, where the light energy is concentrated by a factor of up to 80. Absorber tubes run down this focal line.
These steel tubes, surrounded by an evacuated, insulating glass tube, have a special surface coating which is highly effective at absorbing solar radiation and converting it into heat. In this process, temperatures substantially in excess of 400 degrees Celsius are developed on their surface. An oil known as 'thermo-oil' flows through the centre of each steel absorber tube.
This oil is heated to almost 400 degrees, and the collected heat is then directed to a thermal transfer unit in which steam is generated at high temperature and pressure. As in conventional power stations, this steam is then used to drive a turbine that - linked to a generator - then generates electrical power.
Source: Solar Daily
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Record-breaking solar cells are tailored to their location
The burning hot sun at the equator is a far cry from the weak sunlight that reaches higher latitudes. To make the most of such different conditions you need specially tailored solar cells, according to UK firm Quantasol.
So the company has come up with a new solar cell design that can be tuned to the light at a particular latitude, and in the process broken a 21-year-old efficiency record for one type of solar cell.
Semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) are more efficient at converting light to electricity than the cheaper silicon cells most common today. First used in space, GaAs solar cells are beginning to find uses on Earth too.
But the uniform light conditions in space aren't matched on the ground. The atmosphere acts as a filter, so the light reaching Earth varies from place to place and with changing atmospheric conditions.
Tuned in
Quantasol has now created GaAs solar cells that can be tuned to the prevailing light conditions of a particular place, to get the most out of the cells wherever they are.
To do that, the firm added indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) to pores just a few nanometres across on the surface of their cells, called quantum wells. Like the GaAs that makes up the rest of the cell, they can absorb light to produce electric current. But they do so at very specific frequencies.
The pores can be tuned to absorb light at the frequencies that are most common in a particular place but aren't absorbed well by GaAs. Over time this strategy should extract more energy than an off-the-shelf solar cell.
World record
After the quantum wells have been tuned, the GaAs solar cell absorbs more of the incoming light than previous devices. The peak efficiency of the new cell is 28.3 per cent when exposed to light 500 times as strong as normal sunlight, a figure that has been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy in Germany.
That may only be one-tenth of a percentage point higher than the previous world-record holder, but it's the first advance in 21 years.
Commercial silicon solar cells are much cheaper than GaAs, but have an efficiency of just 10 to 12 per cent and are also bulkier. The Quantasol device can cope with much brighter light without becoming overloaded, making it possible to use a very small solar cell to absorb light collected by a system of cheap lenses and mirrors.
But more important than the peak efficiency is that the new cells can generate more electrical energy over the course of days and weeks, says Kevin Arthur, Quantasol CEO.
"The commercial market doesn't just want high efficiency, they want the device to be optimised to the environment," he says. "In the past we measured performance in dollars per watt. Now it's cents per kilowatt-hour that's more important."
Quantasol will showcase its new device at the UK's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London this week.
Source: www.newscientist.com
So the company has come up with a new solar cell design that can be tuned to the light at a particular latitude, and in the process broken a 21-year-old efficiency record for one type of solar cell.
Semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) are more efficient at converting light to electricity than the cheaper silicon cells most common today. First used in space, GaAs solar cells are beginning to find uses on Earth too.
But the uniform light conditions in space aren't matched on the ground. The atmosphere acts as a filter, so the light reaching Earth varies from place to place and with changing atmospheric conditions.
Tuned in
Quantasol has now created GaAs solar cells that can be tuned to the prevailing light conditions of a particular place, to get the most out of the cells wherever they are.
To do that, the firm added indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) to pores just a few nanometres across on the surface of their cells, called quantum wells. Like the GaAs that makes up the rest of the cell, they can absorb light to produce electric current. But they do so at very specific frequencies.
The pores can be tuned to absorb light at the frequencies that are most common in a particular place but aren't absorbed well by GaAs. Over time this strategy should extract more energy than an off-the-shelf solar cell.
World record
After the quantum wells have been tuned, the GaAs solar cell absorbs more of the incoming light than previous devices. The peak efficiency of the new cell is 28.3 per cent when exposed to light 500 times as strong as normal sunlight, a figure that has been confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy in Germany.
That may only be one-tenth of a percentage point higher than the previous world-record holder, but it's the first advance in 21 years.
Commercial silicon solar cells are much cheaper than GaAs, but have an efficiency of just 10 to 12 per cent and are also bulkier. The Quantasol device can cope with much brighter light without becoming overloaded, making it possible to use a very small solar cell to absorb light collected by a system of cheap lenses and mirrors.
But more important than the peak efficiency is that the new cells can generate more electrical energy over the course of days and weeks, says Kevin Arthur, Quantasol CEO.
"The commercial market doesn't just want high efficiency, they want the device to be optimised to the environment," he says. "In the past we measured performance in dollars per watt. Now it's cents per kilowatt-hour that's more important."
Quantasol will showcase its new device at the UK's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London this week.
Source: www.newscientist.com
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