Solar-cell breakthrough hailed
Solar-cell breakthrough hailed
2008-09-05Newsfeed
The largest producer of solar cells in the Netherlands has announced a breakthrough that has boosted output from a typical 13.5% to nearly 15%.
The largest producer of solar cells in the Netherlands has announced a breakthrough that has boosted output from a typical 13.5% to nearly 15%.
Solland Solar has hailed the resulting increase in efficiency and lower cost as a further step along the road to achieving grid parity.
This is the point where the price of solar electricity is the same or lower than traditional electricity generated from oil, coal and gas.
The International Energy Agency has estimated that parity will become feasible in many parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, within the next five to 10 years.
Solland`s new Sunweb cell concentrates the generated energy to the back of the cell, which means a 2% higher output per cell. Processed and connected in a solar module, the output can even increase by 9%.
By removing the "bus bars" from the front of the cell, the Sunweb cell has a larger surface area available for collecting sunlight and converting it to electricity.
Solland is working with third parties on the development of a special back-sheet foil to connect the Sunweb cells at the rear. This will enable further automation of the production process, saving time and cost.
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
