Solar Cell New Efficiency Record

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New Efficiency Record
in
Thin-Film Solar Cells

Adapted from a Press Release of NREL - 24th March 2008

Workers at NREL have recently made “copper indium gallium diselenide” (CIGS) thin-film PV solar cells with an efficiency of 19.9% this is AFAIK a new world record for this type of Photo Cell.

This is yet another step closer to arriving at a viable cost per watt for this type of cell. The CIGS cell is cheap and easy to make as it is printed in a continuous process using relatively cheap materials compared to silicon.

One possible application of this type of cell is the manufacture of PV cell roof tiles to replace existing ones. Or it could be used on cladding to put on barns, sheds etc.

The gains have been made due to improvements in the quality of the materials used.


http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2008/574.html



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