Research and Development
Alta Devices Achieves 30.8% Solar Efficiency
06 March 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Alta Devices disclosed that it has reached 30.8% solar cell efficiency. This new NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) verified record has resulted from the company’s first implementation of a new generation “dual junction” solar cell technology which augments the company’s “single junction” technology.
Yale’s Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Could Advance Si Solar Cells
04 March 2013POSTED IN Research
A carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film developed by researchers at the Yale University could prove a novel and cost-effective way to realise superior photovoltaic properties of crystalline solar cells. The hybrid carbon nanotube/silicon solar cells may have unmatched power conversion efficiency.
Solar3D Files Patent Application for 3D Solar Cell
26 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Solar3D, Inc., the developer of a 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, today announced that the Company has filed a Patent Cooperation Treaty international application for its next generation solar cell design and methods of fabrication in the United States Receiving Office. Pursuant to current regulations, all countries that are currently PCT contracting states were designated in the PCT application.
Layered Oxide Heterostructures for Ultra-Efficient, Ultra-Thin Solar Cells
24 February 2013POSTED IN Research
In their quest for advanced solar cell materials, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna), Austria, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany and the US, are exploring a new class of materials where single atomic layers are combined to create novel materials with entirely new properties. Computer simulations revealed that layered oxide heterostructures hold great potential for ultra-efficient, ultra-thin solar cells.
Cool Earth Solar and Sandia Sign Public-Private Partnership
20 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
In a public-private partnership that takes full advantage of the Livermore Valley Open Campus(LVOC) for the first time, Sandia National Laboratories and Cool Earth Solar have signed an agreement that could make solar energy more affordable and accessible.
Holographic Optic Could Double Efficiency, Slash Cost of Silicon Solar Modules
18 February 2013POSTED IN Research
The companies Apollon in Dresden, Germany and Solar Bankers in Arizona (US) have collaboratively created silicon-based solar cells that could be twice as efficient as existing panels, thanks to a holographic foil. The enhanced concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) modules use 90% less silicon and could solve the problem of efficiency losses caused by heat. The novel devices, which achieved 28% power conversion efficiency in tests, are thus expected to be inexpensive enough to be manufactured in Germany or the US.
Cadmium-Free Tetrapod Quantum Dots for PV
12 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) announces a new class of cadmium-free, non rare earth elements (REE), non-heavy metal tetrapod quantum dots (NHM-TPQD) developed to meet worldwide concerns regarding nanoparticle biocompatibility and sustainability.
Panasonic Solar Cell Achieves 24.7% Efficiency
11 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Panasonic's (6752.TO, PC) prototype solar cell has achieved the world's highest conversion efficiency at 24.7%, according to tests performed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, as reported by the Nikkei.
Apple Awarded Patent for Solar Touchscreen
11 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Apple has been experimenting with putting its ipod technology into a wristwatch-like device, and that experiment moved one step closer to reality when the US Patent Office awarded a patent for an integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations that may be used on portable devices.
If Darwin Had Designed a Solar Cell…
11 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution, researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (US) have designed a geometrically patterned light-scattering layer that could make organic solar cells more efficient and less expensive by maximizing the time light is trapped in the device.
Supercapacitor Invention Deal Inked
08 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Florida State University (FSU) and Tallahassee, Florida-based General Capacitor have signed an agreement to develop a new supercapacitor technology that the two organizations say will play a “major role” in future energy usage and storage needs.
More Efficient, Cheaper Solar Cells with InP Nanowires
04 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Research at Lund University in Sweden has shown how nanowires could pave the way for more efficient and cheaper solar cells. The indium phosphides (InP) nanowires function like antennae that absorb sunlight and generate power at 13.8% conversion efficiency. What is more, the nanowires only covered 12% of the surface in the experiment, potentially making this solar technology remarkably sustainable for its reduced use of semiconductor materials.
1366 Technologies Opens New US Manufacturing Facility
31 January 2013POSTED IN Business News
1366 Technologies has opened a new, 25MW wafer manufacturing facility in Bedford, Massachusetts (US).
The company says the 42,000-square-foot factory, slated to employ 100 people, represents the final step in the path to commercialization of its Direct Wafer technology, a manufacturing process that 1366 says produces a uniformly better wafer at half the cost.
Magnolia Brings Antireflective Coatings Closer to Commercial Viability
31 January 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Magnolia Solar Corporation announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Magnolia Solar, achieved high-quality 6-inch growth of nanostructured antireflection (AR) coatings on glass for solar cell applications.
The company says this milestone brings this AR technology closer to commercial viability in the existing solar power market.
Clues from Quantum Biology Could Lead to More Efficient Solar Energy
27 January 2013POSTED IN Research
Quantum scale photosynthesis in biological systems that inhabit extreme low-light environments could hold the key to more efficient solar cell designs. Recent research work at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, aimed at providing a better understanding of the surprisingly long quantum coherence times between the exciton states that carry energy in pigment-protein complexes (PPCs), the biomolecular structures that perform light absorption, energy transport and charge separation in natural photosynthetic organisms.
Multi-Junction Solar Cell to Break Efficiency Barrier
22 January 2013POSTED IN Research
The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is kicking off a collaborative three-year materials and device development programme to explore multi-junction (MJ) solar devices that could break the 50% conversion efficiency barrier under concentrated illumination. The major technology breakthrough needed to push the efficiency of a triple-junction solar cell much beyond the current world record of 44% could come with novel semiconductor materials lattice-matched to Indium phosphide (InP). NRL researchers have already produced a realistically achievable design for such a record-breaking lattice-matched multi-junction solar cell.
CPV International 2013: Middle East to realise CPV potential
21 January 2013POSTED IN Business News
With Soitec’s Plug and Sun CPV system deployed in Saudi Arabia and with a strong push for solar in the region, the slow but promising growth of Concentrated Photovoltaics underlines the importance of government support to nurture and grow CPV, say CPV International 2013 conference organisers.
The event, 21-22 March in Madrid, will include several agenda sessions on the opportunities for CPV in the Middle East including presentations by Apricum Consultants, Soitec, Sunpower, K.A. CARE and TUV Intercert.
JinkoSolar Unveils Double 85 PID-Free Solar Module
18 January 2013POSTED IN Applications News
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. today unveiled its new series of “Eagle” solar modules. The company claims that the Eagle modules are the world’s first potential induced degradation (“PID”) free modules to be certified under weather conditions of 85 Degrees Celsius 85% relative humidity.
Abu Dhabi and German Energy Researchers Enhance Cooperation
17 January 2013POSTED IN Business News
The International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance their cooperation.
Photo caption: Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Director of Fraunhofer ISE and Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, at the World Future Energy Summit 2013 in Abu Dhabi. ©IRENA
Heliatek Achieves Cell Efficiency of 12%
16 January 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Organic solar films manufacturer Heliatek today announced a record-breaking 12% cell efficiency for its organic solar cells.
This world record, established in cooperation with the University of Ulm and TU Dresden, was measured by the accredited testing facility SGS. The measurement campaign at SGS also validated the superior low light and high temperature performances of organic photovoltaics (OPV) compared to traditional solar technologies.
