New Material for More Efficient Solar Cells

PunkerTFC writes "Space.com has an article on a new material that could create relatively cheap solar cells which are up to 50% efficient. This is much better than the 25% efficient silicon solar cells (most common) or the 36% efficient multi-junction solar cells (very expensive). The material was created by "forcing oxygen into a zinc-manganese-tellurium crystal" creating more band gaps, which allow the cell to create electrical energy with three seperate frequencies of light. This could lead to cheap, high-output solar cells in the future, but it will take at least 3 years to assess the feasibility of the new technology, according to the researchers."

Comments

Solar is taking over regardless

[danharan]

Even without this advance, solar is poised for even more gains.

Solar sales are up 30-40% every year, and have been growing at such a steady pace for a long time.

The cost of electricity from solar cells remains higher than from wind or coal-fired power plants for grid-connected customers, but it is falling fast due to economies of scale as rising demand drives industry expansion. Solar cells currently cost around $3.50 per watt for crystalline cells, and $2 per watt for thin-film wafers, which are less efficient but can be integrated into building materials. Industry analysts note that between 1976 and 2000, each doubling of cumulative production resulted in a price drop of 20 percent. Some maintain that prices may fall even more dramatically in the future.(link)

Naturally, this is a positive feedback loop. Lower prices mean it's affordable for more niches, which means more people buy, which in turn scales larger. At this point, it's pretty much unstoppable. It is useful in too many niches, especially where customers aren't connected to a power grid.

There are now many countries that have more cell-phones than landline phones. It's likely that in 10 years, some countries will have more customers getting electricity from solar than from a central grid. Naysayers will say it's not ready... but then again, 15 years ago cell phones weren't either. What matters is not the absolute numbers, but the growth rate of the industry and the evolution of the technology.

Of course, as the market matures, more people are doing R&D to find cheaper ways to build PV systems, which is only going to accelerate this momentum.