Fraunhofer Solar Cells Attain World Record Efficiency Rates
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- A photo of the new world record solar cell.
- (© Fraunhofer ISE )
For the first time, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg have reached a record 41.1 percent efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity. The achievement bodes well for the future use of solar power.
The sunlight was concentrated 454-times onto a 5 mm² multi-junction solar cell composed of GaInP/GaInAs/ Ge (gallium indium phosphide, gallium indium arsenide on a germanium substrate).
"We're more than happy with this breakthrough," said Frank Dimroth, director of the ISE working group on Epitaxy and Solar Cells.
"The entire team always believed in our concept of the metamorphic triple-junction solar cell and our success was made possible because of many years of committed work."
The ISE has been developing the metamorphic multi-junction solar cells made of III-IV semiconductor compounds since 1999.
The materials used in these cells are especially conducive to the conversion of sunlight into electricity. They must be combined in a special way, however, using so-called metamorphic growth, making them distinct from traditional solar cells.
The ISE team was able to overcome the obstacles associated with this unique solar cell design by isolating its defects in a part of the solar cell that is not electrically active, freeing the active cell regions, enabling the record efficiency result.
The efficiency levels were maintained even at higher sunlight concentrations of 880, making the multi-junction solar cells especially well suited for solar power stations in countries with direct solar radiation.
Fraunhofer plans to work with the Azur Space Company in Heilbronn and the Freiburg-based Concentrix Solar GmbH to realize the technology as quickly as possible.
"We want to make photovoltaics competitive with conventional methods of electricity production as soon as possible. With our new efficiency results, we have moved a big step further towards achieving this goal," said Fraunhofer ISE Department Head Andreas Bett.
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) have supported this research over the past 15 years. Grants were also made available to doctoral students from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the largest organization for applied research in Europe. Comprised of more than 80 research units, including 57 Fraunhofer Institutes, at 40 different locations in Germany, it also has research centers and representative offices in Europe, the United States, Asia and in the Middle East.
Source: Young Germany
Related Links:
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (homepage)
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
German Education and Research Ministry (BMBF)
