CleanTechnica » solar efficiency http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 How Does Local Solar Stack Up Against The Grid? New Map Provides Countrywide Comparison Of Solar PV And Grid Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/21/local-solar-stack-grid-new-map-provides-countrywide-comparison-solar-pv-grid-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/21/local-solar-stack-grid-new-map-provides-countrywide-comparison-solar-pv-grid-efficiency/#comments Wed, 21 May 2014 19:30:56 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=67092 If you’re interested in knowing exactly where in the country solar energy is the most efficient — as compared to the local grid — then this new map (posted below) from Energy Points should be right up your alley. The map directly compares the efficiency of the local grid to the average efficiency of solar

How Does Local Solar Stack Up Against The Grid? New Map Provides Countrywide Comparison Of Solar PV And Grid Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/21/local-solar-stack-grid-new-map-provides-countrywide-comparison-solar-pv-grid-efficiency/feed/ 1 Dog Bites Man As Amonix Sets Yet Another Solar Cell Efficiency Record http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/21/amonix-sets-new-world-solar-cell-efficiency-record/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/21/amonix-sets-new-world-solar-cell-efficiency-record/#comments Wed, 21 Aug 2013 12:21:37 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=55357 You know we’re getting somewhere when record-shattering solar power efficiency marks are popping up faster than zombies at your local Comic Con, so let’s hear it for the California-based innovator Amonix, which has been setting records practically since it first started up in 1989. In the latest development, Amonix has just achieved a 35.9 percent

Dog Bites Man As Amonix Sets Yet Another Solar Cell Efficiency Record was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/21/amonix-sets-new-world-solar-cell-efficiency-record/feed/ 4 Wright’s Law & Moore’s Law Best Predict Technology Progress http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/14/wrights-law-moores-law-best-predict-technology-progress/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/14/wrights-law-moores-law-best-predict-technology-progress/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:27:53 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49547 Recent research from MIT and the Santa Fe Institute confirms that Wright’s Law and Moore’s Law are very good predictors for technological progress, the best known laws for predicting technological efficiency improvements. As the article below notes, Wright’s Law is identified as the top performer. And this is very important for clean energy or other cleantech policy. Wright’s Law,

Wright’s Law & Moore’s Law Best Predict Technology Progress was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/14/wrights-law-moores-law-best-predict-technology-progress/feed/ 2 Solar Tech Improvements; Solar Project News; Solar Manufacturing News… (Solar Energy News Roundup) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/21/solar-tech-improvements-solar-project-news-solar-manufacturing-news-solar-energy-news-roundup/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/21/solar-tech-improvements-solar-project-news-solar-manufacturing-news-solar-energy-news-roundup/#comments Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:33:18 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=39257   Other than the solar energy news we’ve already posted on, here’s some more solar energy news from the last week or so from around the cleantech interwebs: Solar Technology News Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun’s frequencies available for energy conversion. Changing the concentration of indium allows researchers to tune the material’s

Solar Tech Improvements; Solar Project News; Solar Manufacturing News… (Solar Energy News Roundup) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/21/solar-tech-improvements-solar-project-news-solar-manufacturing-news-solar-energy-news-roundup/feed/ 1 New World Record for Tandem Polymer Solar Cell Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/new-world-record-for-tandem-polymer-solar-cell-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/new-world-record-for-tandem-polymer-solar-cell-efficiency/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:48:50 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=35454   “Scientists boosted the significance of tandem polymer solar cells by successfully testing cells with low-bandgap polymers that achieved certified conversion efficiencies of 8.62 ± 0.3% with respect to standard terrestrial reporting conditions,” the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced today. “Further, after the researchers incorporated a new infrared-absorbing polymer material provided by Sumitomo Chemical

New World Record for Tandem Polymer Solar Cell Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/new-world-record-for-tandem-polymer-solar-cell-efficiency/feed/ 3 SCHOTT Solar Achieves Nearly 20% PV Efficiency Using New Fabrication Technology http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/21/schott-solar-achieves-nearly-20-pv-efficiency-using-new-fabrication-technology/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/21/schott-solar-achieves-nearly-20-pv-efficiency-using-new-fabrication-technology/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:17:22 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=33181 SCHOTT Solar is producing silicon solar PV cells with nearly 20% efficiency at comparatively low cost using a combination of innovative technologies that promise to drive the cost of manufacturing solar photovoltaic cells, and the cost of producing electricity from solar energy, further down the curve

SCHOTT Solar Achieves Nearly 20% PV Efficiency Using New Fabrication Technology was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/21/schott-solar-achieves-nearly-20-pv-efficiency-using-new-fabrication-technology/feed/ 0 Solar Cell with 114% External Quantum Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/20/solar-cell-with-114-external-quantum-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/20/solar-cell-with-114-external-quantum-efficiency/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:36:46 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=33146   Scientists at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported “the first solar cell that produces a photocurrent that has an external quantum efficiency greater than 100 percent when photoexcited with photons from the high energy region of the solar spectrum” at the end of last week. Promising news. More from NREL: The external quantum efficiency for photocurrent,

Solar Cell with 114% External Quantum Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/20/solar-cell-with-114-external-quantum-efficiency/feed/ 1 Chromasun Harvests Sun’s Heat & Photons with Hybrid Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic — Thermal Modules http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/14/chromasun-harvests-suns-heat-photons-with-hybrid-concentrated-solar-photovoltaic-thermal-modules/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/14/chromasun-harvests-suns-heat-photons-with-hybrid-concentrated-solar-photovoltaic-thermal-modules/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:53:49 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=32983 By harvesting both heat and photons from sunlight, Chromasun's latest hybrid concentrated solar photovoltaic-thermal (CPVT) system can provide at least three times the energy conversion efficiency of standalone solar PV systems. Field tests, the most recent at Santa Clara University's 2007 Solar Decathlon House, indicate that installing Chromasun's MCT Collector system on building rooftops is grid-competitive without any subsidization.

Chromasun Harvests Sun’s Heat & Photons with Hybrid Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic — Thermal Modules was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/14/chromasun-harvests-suns-heat-photons-with-hybrid-concentrated-solar-photovoltaic-thermal-modules/feed/ 6 New Thin-Film Solar Module Efficiency Record Set http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:30:52 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=32669   Yes, it’s that time again — another solar power efficiency record has been set! The category: thin-film solar module efficiency. The company: Solibro, a subsidiary of the large German solar company Q-Cells SE. The efficiency: 17.4% (of aperture area). The confirming party: the independent Fraunhofer ISE Institute. Where will the technology be used? In “next generation

New Thin-Film Solar Module Efficiency Record Set was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/feed/ 8 New Flexible Solar Cell on Plastic Efficiency Record http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/01/new-flexible-solar-cell-on-plastic-efficiency-record/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/01/new-flexible-solar-cell-on-plastic-efficiency-record/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:37:09 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=27807 Solar records are broken left and right. We can't cover them all, of course, but try to cover the big ones. Recently, researchers ar Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, set a pretty big one. They increased the solar cell efficiency record of flexible solar cells made of copper indium gallium (di)selenide (aka CIGS) from 17.6% to 18.7%, a pretty significant increase

New Flexible Solar Cell on Plastic Efficiency Record was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/01/new-flexible-solar-cell-on-plastic-efficiency-record/feed/ 1 Solar Junction Breaks Concentrated Solar World Record with 43.5% Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/19/solar-junction-breaks-concentrated-solar-world-record-with-43-5-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/19/solar-junction-breaks-concentrated-solar-world-record-with-43-5-efficiency/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:45:26 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=26043 Solar Junction, a company headquartered in San Jose, California has once again broken the efficiency world record for production-ready solar cells, which was confirmed by the United States' National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last week. The new record, 43.5%, is 1.2% higher than the previous record

Solar Junction Breaks Concentrated Solar World Record with 43.5% Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/19/solar-junction-breaks-concentrated-solar-world-record-with-43-5-efficiency/feed/ 5 US and Chinese Companies Team Up to Create High Efficiency Solar Cells http://cleantechnica.com/2010/07/15/us-and-chinese-companies-team-up-to-create-high-efficiency-solar-cells/ http://cleantechnica.com/2010/07/15/us-and-chinese-companies-team-up-to-create-high-efficiency-solar-cells/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:47:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=12905 [social_buttons] In a move to try to create a solar cell conversion efficiency rate of over 20%, Chinese company JA Solar Holdings has teamed up with US start-up Innovalight. The two have signed a 3-year contract “for work on Secium high efficiency solar cells.” With pilot production of the solar cells already underway, these solar

US and Chinese Companies Team Up to Create High Efficiency Solar Cells was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2010/07/15/us-and-chinese-companies-team-up-to-create-high-efficiency-solar-cells/feed/ 3 German Researchers Crack 20% Thin Film Solar Cell Efficiency Ceiling http://cleantechnica.com/2010/05/06/german-researchers-crack-20-thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-ceiling/ http://cleantechnica.com/2010/05/06/german-researchers-crack-20-thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-ceiling/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 00:55:31 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=9512 A team of German researchers has nudged aside a U.S. record for thin film solar efficiency, previously held by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at 19.9%.  The new German solar conversion efficiency record of 20.1% is for CIGS thin film solar technology, which is based on a compound of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium.  According

German Researchers Crack 20% Thin Film Solar Cell Efficiency Ceiling was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2010/05/06/german-researchers-crack-20-thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-ceiling/feed/ 3 Innovalight's Silicon Ink "Tattoo" Will Lower the Cost of Solar Cells http://cleantechnica.com/2010/02/17/innovalights-silicon-ink-tattoo-will-lower-the-cost-of-solar-cells/ http://cleantechnica.com/2010/02/17/innovalights-silicon-ink-tattoo-will-lower-the-cost-of-solar-cells/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:42:28 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=5231 Innovalight of Sunnyvale, California has just won a key patent for a new process that will significantly lower the cost of  manufacturing silicon solar cells.  Working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the company has come up with a way to apply silicon ink to silicon wafers without using the expensive vacuum-based process typically

Innovalight's Silicon Ink "Tattoo" Will Lower the Cost of Solar Cells was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2010/02/17/innovalights-silicon-ink-tattoo-will-lower-the-cost-of-solar-cells/feed/ 1 Sharp Nails a Record 35.8% Solar Conversion Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:10:46 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=3801 Sharp Corporation has just announced that it has achieved the world’s highest solar cell conversion efficiency using a compound layered design based on the technology used in the solar cells that power space satellites.  Mindful of the link between sustainable energy and the future market for consumer electronics, Sharp has been aggressively pursuing solar efficiency

Sharp Nails a Record 35.8% Solar Conversion Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/25/sharp-nails-a-record-358-solar-conversion-efficiency/feed/ 8 Solarmer Breaks Plastic Solar Cell Efficiency World Record, Again http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:37:57 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=3789 Solarmer Energy broke the world record for plastic cell efficiency last year. Now, they’ve just broken it again. The new efficiency record is 7.6% and it breaks 7% for the first time. [social_buttons] The previous record set by Solarmer in 2008 was 6.77%. It was the first time efficiency had gotten above 5%. Now, within

Solarmer Breaks Plastic Solar Cell Efficiency World Record, Again was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/feed/ 2 New World Record in Solar Power Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:21:34 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=3183 [social_buttons] A Chinese company set a new world record in solar power efficiency this week. According to the company, Suntech Power Holdings, they achieved a 15.6% conversion efficiency on “a commercial grade multi-crystalline silicon PV module.” This breaks a 15-year-old world record set by Sandia National Labs in the US. Sandia National Labs’ record was

New World Record in Solar Power Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/feed/ 20 XeroCoat Boosts Thin Film Solar Efficiency, Lowers Costs with New Coatings http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/10/xerocoat-boosts-thin-film-solar-efficiency-lowers-costs-with-new-coatings/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/10/xerocoat-boosts-thin-film-solar-efficiency-lowers-costs-with-new-coatings/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:57:49 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2762 Dirt and reflection are no friends to thin film solar panel efficiency, and XeroCoat Inc. is on the way to solving both problems with a set of patented solar coatings that keep solar modules cleaner while cutting down on reflection.  The Redwood City-based company has just won a U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop

XeroCoat Boosts Thin Film Solar Efficiency, Lowers Costs with New Coatings was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/10/xerocoat-boosts-thin-film-solar-efficiency-lowers-costs-with-new-coatings/feed/ 1 Rensselaer Researchers Nano-Engineer Solar to 'Near Perfect' Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2008/11/15/rensselaer-researchers-nano-engineer-solar-to-near-perfect-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2008/11/15/rensselaer-researchers-nano-engineer-solar-to-near-perfect-efficiency/#comments Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:30:07 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=1510 Nano-engineering students at Rensselaer have created a solar power game-changer: more than 96% absorption of sunlight from all angles, from sunrise to sunset. The two biggest efficiency hurdles for solar efficiency have been: 1. Solar cells absorb only part of the light spectrum. 2. The sun always moves in relation to the panel. To solve

Rensselaer Researchers Nano-Engineer Solar to 'Near Perfect' Efficiency was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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