Comments on: Super-Efficient Solar Cells Possible Through Use Of Exotic Form Of Silicon, Generating More Than One Electron-Hole Pair Per Photon

By: mds

mds — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:57:00 +0000

Very interesting, but you’re going to have to explain how a concentrator can increase efficiency of conversion. Normally, for CPV, efficiency is measured as a percentage of the light collection area, so the concentrator allows less PV material to be used to convert sunlight from a larger area, but it does not increase the efficiency of conversion. In fact, the reflectors or lenses used cannot be perfect (that’s life), so CPV typically has a few percentage points LESS efficiency than the PV cells used.
Increasing efficiency from 42% to 70% by using a concentrator is either:
(a) a mis-quote
(b) what he’s saying is not properly explained
or (c) it’s nonsense.
{I mean no offense here. I hope you will forgive me for being blunt and to the point. I appreciate the article. This is really amazing solar science. I’m just trying to improve understanding, maybe just mine, by pointing out an apparent flaw in the information given.}
Thanks,
mike

By: Otis11

Otis11 — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:27:00 +0000

And there’s always the fact that until energy is to cheap to care (which I don’t see on the horizon) people/organizations/companies will continue to research technologies to make even the “out there” concepts of today a reality in a few decades, if not sooner.

Interesting piece!

By: sola

sola — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:51:00 +0000

That 70% efficiency would make concentrating systems really worth it.

Of course, it is still a question of economics but the method may not raise prices significantly.