Fraunhofer claims world record in solar cell efficiency - 41.1%

Trendwatch
By Wolfgang Gruener
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 11:15


Munich (Germany) – Solar cells remains one of the most fascinating and promising research areas these days. Scientists at the German Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems (ISE) recently announced that they've developed a solar cell capable of providing 41.1% efficiency, which is the highest level achieved to date. They are now working to make the technology commercially available.


The new solar cell is an evolution in Fraunhofer’s metamorphous solar cell research, which has been in place since 1999. The research is focused on combinations of semiconductor materials, in this case it's GaInP / GaInAs / Ge (Gallium-Indium-Phosphid / Gallium-Indium-Arsenide / Germanium). In 1999, the scientists discovered that these materials are well-suited for converting sunlight into electricity, and today it seems their long effort is paying off.

Over the years, the research group at Fraunhofer has been working on methods to better align the material and its cell structure with spectrum received from sunlight on the surface of our planet. What makes this newly developed solar cell special is that the scientists were able to identify and correct defective areas within the non-electrical crystaline portion of the solar cell, thus creating a much more efficient cell; one that can be created virtually free from defects.

more:
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/41224/113/

This is HUGH!!11111!!!

Now, if they can figure out how to do this with either 1) concentrating solar or 2) thin film vapor deposition (both to use as little of the expensive material as possible), they're really on to something.

Exajoules for the masses!!!!

The record was set at a level of 400x solar illumination, and the cells are expensive to make. So putting one at the focus of a collector makes sense.

We have an announcement of a solar promise and a solar breakthrough every week on this website ever since I've been here, which has been since 2002.

Of course there were lots of solar PROMISING remarks in 1992.

And before that, in 1982.

In fact one can find solar "breakthroughs" going all the way back to 1954:



http://www.porticus.org/bell/belllabs_photovoltaics.html

And here, of course, is the end result of all these "breakthroughs:"

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table1.html

It will be a wonderful day for solar energy when it actually produces enough electricity to run the servers and computers all reporting how wonderful solar energy is.

But of course, that day may bring some toxicological reality to the equation.

Wind Power BLOWS.

See the following:
http://www.keepersoftheblueridge.com/faqs.html
http://www.nortexwind.org/index.htm
http://www.stopillwind.org/index.php
http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/
http://www.savewesternny.org/
http://www.epaw.org/

Or just watch this series of videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNxvkrgoPLo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_utFV2ukOtU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOd5tSZF3A4&feature=related

There's more, but you get the idea. :)

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

Let me ask you. How many solar cells do you use to run your little consumer piece of electronic garbage?

And when they burn out, do you recycle them in your backyard by the swimming pool, or to you just send them to China?