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Old 03-15-14, 12:01 AM   #1
ecomodded
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Default 24% high efficency solar panels developed

24.4% efficient PV panels

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from link:

The Australian National University has cemented its and Australia’s role as a key player in global solar energy innovation with the unveiling of a new high-efficiency solar cell, developed through a joint venture with Chinese solar PV giant Trina Solar.

The product of two years’ research at the ANU Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems – a world-class R&D facility known for its development of Sliver solar cells, nano PV technology and hybrid PV/thermal parabolic trough concentrator systems – the laboratory-scale Interdigitated Back Contact (“IBC”) solar cell has been independently tested to deliver an efficiency of 24.4%, putting it in the league of the most efficient solar cells to date.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Trina described the collaborative achievement – the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) was also involved, via contract with Trina – as a “milestone in solar cell research.”

Attention will now turn to developing a commercial version of the solar cell, as well as an IBC PV module. Trina says a 125mm by 125mm commercial cell has already reached an efficiency greater than 22 per cent, and 238W for an IBC PV module (based on 72 cells) – both of which have been independently tested.

Trina also said it expected the IBC solar cell to be ready for industrialised mass production soon.

Professor Andrew Blakers, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at the ANU Research School of Engineering, said the ANU has been working towards developing highly efficient back contact silicon solar cells with both positive and negative metallic contacts on the rear surface.

The technology, says Blakers, allows the surface facing the sun to be uniformly black, without the metal electrodes present on most solar cells – an attribute which makes modules look better, while more importantly increasing electricity uptake per unit area.

“The results mean the laboratory cell technology can now be further developed for commercial solar cells,” Blakers said. “The work is expected to lead to commercial solar cells with improved efficiency, allowing more power to be generated from a given area of rooftop solar module.”

ANU and Trina Solar develop 24.4% efficient solar cell : Renew Economy

We are getting there ! Glad to hear of some Progress in the PV field, I expect China to bring this technology to us shortly.. as China is moving fast in fabricating the cutting edge technologies.

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Old 03-15-14, 12:49 AM   #2
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This is really good news.
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Old 03-15-14, 08:23 AM   #3
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This might be useful news depending on the effects of mass production and pricing. I've seen technology come and go that was better than the competition, but unable to compete with mass produced inexpensive commercial alternatives.

For structures like my house, where I have limited second floor roof space, a nearly doubling of the efficiency would allow me to collect significantly more energy than my present 13.7% efficient panels, without having to add ground mounts. Just last night, I was tinkering with a spreadsheet looking at the gains available if I used 15.2% efficient panels in place of my current 13.7% efficient panels.
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Old 03-15-14, 12:30 PM   #4
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It is more or less a technique in manufacturing, with a 43% gain in collected energy for a given array size it may well come to volition sooner then later. Its a manipulation of the current technology so just some factory retooling is needed.

A boosted 24% pv panels of a 7,175w array would have the same footprint as a 5000w PV array
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Old 03-23-14, 01:28 AM   #5
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Over 24% in the lab translates to how much on the roof? And will the PV still be that efficient after 15-25 years?
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Old 03-23-14, 08:22 AM   #6
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Cell efficiency is already over 20% is some cases but when put in a panel, the efficiency is considerably lower, usually around 17-18%. There is a big difference between cell and panel efficiency. Cell efficiency does not include glass over it, for example.
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Old 03-26-14, 03:45 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikesolar View Post
Cell efficiency does not include glass over it, for example.
Or temperature variations. Most if not all of the of the lab numbers I've seen are for +25ºC, and efficiency drops above that temperature. Panels on a roof are hardly ever that cool, I've seen somewhere that their average temperature is +50ºC. The higher temperature also shortens their usable lifetime (efficiency drops faster in higher temps).
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Old 04-01-14, 11:20 PM   #8
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The highest energy output my solar panels have produced was 285 watts out of a 285 watt panel. That was on a very sunny day after a 2 inch snow blanket at 10 deg. F. On an average day, 200 watts is normal.

We need panels like the rovers have on Mars. They work with multi spectrum light.
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Old 04-02-14, 05:39 AM   #9
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Panels are tested at 25c and 1000w/m2. A cell will be tested in the same way but it does not take into account the glass, losses with stringing them together and the fact that the heat will make them degrade roughly 0.4% annually unless you can keep them cool. This is why the manufacturers warranty the product with the degraded power output over 25 years.
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Old 04-02-14, 06:04 AM   #10
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Wow, that is really a best information today. Thanks.

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