Posted on 12/07/2014 8:47:12 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Researchers have converted 40 percent of sunlight hitting a solar cell into electricity, which is the highest efficiency ever reported.
The achievement was made using focused sunlight, and could have implications in photovoltaic power, the University of New South Wales reported.
"This is the highest efficiency ever reported for sunlight conversion into electricity," said UNSW Scientia Professor and Director of the Advanced Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) Professor Martin Green.
"We used commercial solar cells, but in a new way, so these efficiency improvements are readily accessible to the solar industry," added Mark Keevers, the UNSW solar scientist who managed the project.
The prototype also boasts an optical bandpass filters that work to capture the sunlight that is normally wasted by modern solar cells and converts it to electricity with a higher efficiency than conventional devices.
"We hope to see this home grown innovation take the next steps from prototyping to pilot scale demonstrations. Ultimately, more efficient commercial solar plants will make renewable energy cheaper, increasing its competitiveness," said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.
The achievement is one of many made by UNSW solar researchers over the past 40 years. This includes the first photovoltaic system to convert sunlight to electricity with over 20% efficiency in 1989, which doubled its performance.
(Excerpt) Read more at hngn.com ...
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/breakthrough-worlds-most-efficient-solar-panel/
It beats the previous laboratory best of 32 percent, Semprius said, citing testing and certification from Spain’s Instituto de Energia Solar at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Semprius late last year announced a breakthrough in the 41 percent efficient solar cells it builds into its modules. Cells typically are more efficient than the overall module.
I have yet to apply what, as a 7 year-old, I learned of First Law and conservation of energy to my personal energy [in]efficiencies in pursuing female companionship.
What's the cost of the cell, what is it's life and will it ever survive long enough to pay back it's cost. But most importantly, why would anyone feel it's okay to destroy the desert with solar cells and solar plants when we wont let our citizens recreate on the same property?
Because people driving ATVs or dirt bikes around the desert don't kick back a percentage to congressmen.
Because people driving ATVs or dirt bikes around the desert don't kick back a percentage to congressmen.
I am much more willing to support rebates for end user/citizens to help push a technology, but never outright taxpayer handouts and forgivable loans to crony capitalist con artists and financial wheeler dealers as was done with Solyndra. The media covered for those thieves and their political cohorts.
We’d be better off encouraging individual American homeowners to improve their energy self sufficiency and use of their residence footprint with certain types of PV solar than we are creating centralized solar farms that are vulnerable to natural disasters, terrorism and ecological issues.
But as you aptly said what gets funded is always based upon how much the lobbyists pay off our corrupt Congress.
Private capital needs to be put up and used for any large scale development otherwise it always corrupts government and steals from our treasury.
California and the southwestern USA have some of the world’s best sunlight conditions for solar power. I’m seeing rooftop solar power panels going up everywhere in the Sacramento, CA area because of this.
I’m confident the efficiency will come, it’s a matter of R&D and material science developments. Heck, 30 years ago no one would have believed how efficient the internal combustion engine would become, or that smartphones could be so cheap even people on welfare would have them ;-)
Keep the government OUT of it, and most importantly, STOP providing incentives for sub-optimal technology. Let capitalism work.
My average electricity cost is .28/kwh, so the ROI is quick. If I was paying electricity rates like folks in Texas (where they also get plenty of sun), solar power would make zero financial sense.
If the tax subsidies are allowed to sunset as scheduled, and utilities continue to move away from “net metering” plans, the solar industry will have to make huge cost reductions, or people will have no financial incentive to buy their systems.
The achievement was made using focused sunlight, and could have implications in photovoltaic power, the University of New South Wales reported.
...
Which means it may have no implications whatsoever.
That said, costs continue to decline, and I would not be at all surprised if solar emerged as a viable option. But we're not there yet.
Once you have gotten to 40%, further efficiency improvements are less important than cell cost per watt.
In addition to the grammatical mistake, this statement makes no sense.
... which is why energy costs are skyrocketing, to make these things palatable. My rate is .08.
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