New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology
The US Governments Department of Energy has today announced New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner today announced that with DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance. This breakthrough may lead to systems with an installation cost of only $3 per watt, producing electricity at a cost of 8-10 cents per kilowatt/hour, making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part of our nation’s energy mix.
This is fantastic news. The sooner this technology is commercialised the better. Most current solar panels are around 8 – 10% efficient so this represents an increase of 400 to 500% over today’s tech. Reducing our use of fossil-fuel sourced energy is the primary means by which we’ll stem the tide of global warming. — DS
Technorati Tags: DoE, emissions reduction, green power, solar, solar power