New Worlds Record: Solar efficiency

[skookerasbil]

A new solar panel was developed and tested at 44% efficiency >>>

World record solar cell with 44.7% efficiency

This is pretty amazing stuff considering the efficiency of current production solar panels is laughable at 13% - 16% efficiency.

I could find no information on cost but in car terms, its like comparing a Nissan Sentra to a Nissan GTR. Green advocates are giddy, but its sorta like a bald headed fat guy thinking he has a good chance at a roll with Sofia Vargara!!!

Still......its a step in the right direction.

 

[Old Rocks]

Yep, turbo-chargers were for only race cars and the very rich until just recently. The cell was very small, and, more than likely, very expensive. But it is a start. There are, at present, a few solar cells out there that exceed 20% for the consumer, again, at a price.

http://www.eng.auburn.edu/organizations/SOA/data/docs/SunPower A-300 Datasheet.pdf

 

[KissMy]

but its sorta like a bald headed fat guy thinking he has a good chance at a roll with Sofia Vargara!!!

 

[flacaltenn]

This is good news for space platforms and Martian Rovers. That's about the resulting market for this very pricey and dubious advancement.

1) It depends on optical concentrators. Remember Solyndra?

2) It's a mult-junction 3-5 semi process. Read that -- probably contains Arsenic and other exotic TOXIC materials.

3) We knew we could do this for about a decade.. Took so long because the market implications are bleak and the REAL environmentalists will shriek about the content.

4) The more junctions you toss in -- the higher the conversion efficiency if you tune properly. But it becomes a high end product --- doesn't end up in terrestrial power generation outside of the military.

 

[flacaltenn]

but its sorta like a bald headed fat guy thinking he has a good chance at a roll with Sofia Vargara!!!

That's the miracle of Ectasy and other date-rape drugs..

 

[ScienceRocks]

I think this is really good news Imagine you want to get away from it all and this allows for that.