The innovation race in the solar energy sector has just seen a new record. Conversion efficiency has always been the key to unlocking the true potential of this energy, and now an international team has taken a giant step in this direction with a solar cell that achieves a record efficiency of 36,1%.
Record direction
The conversion efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels represents the percentage of solar energy that a cell is able to transform into usable energy. The higher this percentage, the more energy we can obtain from a given panel surface. Most traditional solar panels “struggle” to exceed 29,4% efficiency.
Today, thanks to a team of researchers fromFraunhofer Institute in Germany andDutch Research Institute AMOLF in the Netherlands, he brought out a solar cell that blew away this roof.
Like no one ever
This new type of solar cell, called “multijunction“, has a revolutionary design. It was designed with a special coating made of different types of materials. This multilayer structure allows the cell to absorb different color spectra of the sun, thus increasing the efficiency of capturing solar radiation.
But what makes this system so special? The answer lies in the combination of a silicon solar cell with two semiconductor layers of gallium-indium phosphorus (GaInP) and indium gallium arsenide phosphorus (GaInAsP). This combination, along with a metal and polyester coating, delivered results beyond expectations.
The potential of this new solar cell
While this next-generation solar cell may be more expensive to produce than traditional photovoltaic cells, its potential is immense.
It could revolutionize sectors such as electric cars powered by solar energy, drones and consumer electronics. And that's not all: the new light management technology could also be applied to other types of solar cells, such as those (always "multijunction") made of silicon and pérovskite.
Research in this sector is of extraordinary importance: not only does it bring us closer to a more sustainable world, but it shows us how much clean energy there is still "in freedom". The introduction of this new solar cell could finally realize its potential.
