ARPA-E Award: Caltech’s Harry Atwater Aims For 50% Solar Efficiency

[ScienceRocks]

ARPA-E Award: Caltech’s Harry Atwater Aims For 50% Solar Efficiency


December 7, 2012 Nicholas Brown

Harry Atwater’s group at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has been awarded $2.4 million by the U.S Department of Energy’s ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy) to develop 50% to 70% efficient solar cell technology.

If this project is a success, it means that a panel which is roughly 1 foot by 1 foot could generate 50 to 70 watts of solar power on a normal sunny day, in direct sunlight!

Normally, a panel that size would generate 10 watts if 10% efficient, or 18 watts if 18% efficient.

Of course, more efficient solar panels means that more electricity can be obtained from solar panels in general, meaning that the theoretical maximum amount of power the world could obtain from solar panels would increase.

This limit is already impressively high, even with our currently inefficient panels.

Read more at ARPA-E Award: Caltech

IF they're successful. This would be a good news.

 

[RosieS]

It would be awesome! In sunny climes like here it definitely means being a net producer rather than a net consumer of electricity.

Go Caltech!

Regards from Rosie