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WASHINGTON, DC, US, December 13, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
A concentrator solar cell has achieved a
conversion efficiency of 40.7%, leading to the possibility of solar
systems which generate electricity at 8¢ to 10¢ per kWh.
The cell was produced by Boeing-Spectrolab with funding from the
U.S. Department of Energy, says Alexander Karsner of the DOE. The
world record establishes a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity
performance.
“Reaching this milestone heralds a great achievement for the DOE and
for solar energy engineering worldwide,” says Karsner. “We are eager
to see this accomplishment translate into the marketplace as soon as
possible, which has the potential to help reduce our nation’s
reliance on imported oil and increase our energy security.”
The breakthrough may lead to solar systems which cost only US$3 per
watt to install and generate electricity at less than 10¢ per kWh,
“making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part
of our nation’s energy mix.” The 40.7% cell was developed using a
multi-junction solar cell, which achieves higher efficiency by
capturing more of the solar spectrum.
In a multi-junction cell, individual cells are made of layers where
each layer captures part of the sunlight passing through the cell,
allowing the cell to obtain more energy from the sun’s light. Most
current solar modules do not concentrate sunlight and have
efficiencies of 12% to 18%.
For two decades, researchers have tried to break the 40% efficiency
barrier on solar cell devices. In 1994, DOE’s National Renewable
Energy laboratory achieved 30% and most satellites now use
multi-junction cells.
“Reaching 40% efficiency helps further President Bush’s Solar
America Initiative goals, which aims to win nationwide acceptance of
clean solar energy technologies by 2015,” says DOE. “By then, it is
intended that America will have enough solar energy systems
installed to provide power to one to two million homes, at a cost of
5 to 10 cents per kilowatt/hour.”
The SAI is a key component of Bush’s ‘Advanced Energy Initiative’
which provides a 22% increase in research funding at DOE.
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