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Japanese Company Develops a Solar Cell With Record-Breaking 26%+ Efficiency (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The silicon-based cells that make up a solar panel have a theoretical efficiency limit of 29 percent, but so far that number has proven elusive. Practical efficiency rates in the low-20-percent range have been considered very good for commercial solar panels. But researchers with Japanese chemical manufacturer Kaneka Corporation have built a solar cell with a photo conversion rate of 26.3 percent, breaking the previous record of 25.6 percent. Although it's just a 2.7 percent increase in efficiency, improvements in commercially viable solar cell technology are increasingly hard-won. Not only that, but the researchers noted in their paper that after they submitted their article to Nature Energy, they were able to further optimize their solar cell to achieve 26.6 percent efficiency. That result has been recognized by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). In the Nature Energy paper, the researchers described building a 180.4 cm2 cell using high-quality thin-film heterojunction (HJ) -- that is, layering silicon within the cell to minimize band gaps where electron states can't exist. Controlling heterojunctions is a known technique among solar cell builders -- Panasonic uses it and will likely incorporate it into cells built for Tesla at the Solar City plant in Buffalo, and Kaneka has its own proprietary heterojunction techniques. For this record-breaking solar cell, the Kaneka researchers also placed low-resistance electrodes toward the rear of the cell, which maximized the number of photons that collected inside the cell from the front. And, as is common on many solar cells, they coated the front of the cell with a layer of amorphous silicon and an anti-reflective layer to protect the cell's components and collect photons more efficiently.
DRM it?
"26.3 percent, breaking the previous record of 25.6 percent. Although it's just a 2.7 percent increase"
Uh, what? Someone flunked elementary school math.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Thin-film heterojunction? Is that like latex fetish?
Cost is everything. Unless these panels are to be installed in Manhattan or on a satellite efficiency is not much help. If efficiency goes up 2x and cost goes up 10x is that any use? No.
On the other hand if efficiency goes down 2x but cost reduces by 10x we could put solar panels out in the desert and get good use out of it.
The only reasonable improvements are in reducing the cost of manufacturing and reducing the amazingly toxic byproducts of solar cell production.
This is only single cell solar cells, multi-junction cells have breached 46%. https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/... At this point increases in efficiency are mostly masturbation, relying on complex materials/techniques that aren't worth the cost. The big transformation will occur when they get thin film solar cells that are more efficient so you can have solar cells without making ridiculous amounts of toxic waste.
and I have all of my roof covered that gets direct sunlight, and they still aren't powerful enough to produce enough power even in the summer to overcome the self-discharge of my SLA batteries. Here in Seattle in the winter, I might as well not even have the panels. 26% efficient would be strong enough to keep me from having to plug a charger into the wall to charge my batteries for maybe six months a year. Hopefully this will reach consumers soon.
...but solar cell efficiency only really matters when space is limited.
Don't you worry folks... we got your coal jobs right here!!! that thar sciency mumbo jumbo is fer them Hollywood E-leetists... you won't catch me usin' no soLAR sells.... commie contraptions iffn' ya ask me!!!!
are almost this post up. that sorded, thi7s is consistent [mit.edu] found 40,000 coming Theorists - The top. Or were, sorely diminished. Of open-source.
Let's put the all the yellow niiggers back into concentration camps and see what else inventions they invent next.
My solar panels are 14% efficient and cost 11 cents per watt.
Modern consumer solar is breathtakingly amazing.
We forget how bad things were just 15-20 years ago.
Earlier today, I set up a folding panel with sunpower cells; it was literally vertical, in a window, facing South. Total surface area.. maybe 3sqft, weighing 1lb. It was making ~20W for 4 hours, and managed to completely recharge my 130Wh battery pack in 8. Through a window. In the winter, in Canada.
The thing cost $120.
It's easy to get lost in the constant claims of breakthroughs while forgetting what an amazing time we live in. 20 years ago, this panel would have blocked out the sun and cost a months' salary.
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
The efficiency of renewable energy is only half the battle. The major problem with networks powering up from DER (distributed energy resources) is that you don’t really get to deliver the power in an efficient manner without a Smart Grid. So ok, it’s good for household, but for a major plant, you’ll be left with really goon solar panels that generate quite a lot of electricity, but then all the power will be dissipated.
Since we don’t have sufficient energy storage units and no Smart distribution grids that supply in accordance with a consumer demand. On a large scale (mass energy production) having a system that can respond to changes in the power requirements boosts efficiency far more than advancement in energy generation. Although it is important as well, I just though it needs to be mentioned, because this subject is always overlooked in the discussion of renewables.
What's wrong with you ?
There's a new better photovoltaic cell, that is actually produced by an actual manufacturer (Kaneka) and could soon be matched by other actual manufacturer making real cells in the real world (Panasonic and Tesla mentioned), and not simply one of those "small research team in some university lab make a small breakthrough that could increase cell effenciency. In theory. Probably within 25 years when the discovery finally reach actual production at a real-world manufacturer".
And all you people bicker about how the numbers are presented in the summary ?
What's next ? Going ape-shit crazy about some shirt that a scientist is wearing, instead of paying attention that he's announcing that they managed to land a probe on...
oh, wait!
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Moreover, if you're mostly using it for personal use, you are far better off using solar water heating and cutting bills heating water or the home.
And if you're spending $15k, either two thirds of that is not the cost of the panels but installation, in which case that is where you were ripped off, not on the panels, shop around next time, or that's over 10kW you think you're using.
Try using less power you fucking wasteful moron.