First Solar Sets New Thin-Film Efficiency Record of 17%

March 20th, 2014 by Joshua S Hill

First Solar announced on Wednesday that they had set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module conversion efficiency, reaching a record of 17%, up from its previous record of 16.1% efficiency.

The most recent tests were performed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), nearly a year after the company set its previous record, and only weeks after they announced their world record in CdTe research cell efficiency of 20.4%.

“This achievement demonstrates our ability to rapidly and reliably transfer research results to full-size modules,” said Raffi Garabedian, First Solar’s Chief Technology Officer. “We can take CdTe innovation from the lab to production faster and more reliably than other technologies due to our robust, adaptable manufacturing processes and the accommodating nature of CdTe material technology. Our R&D efforts are delivering technology that will quickly be scaled to real-world application as part of our integrated power plant systems, which are engineered to deliver the best performance, reliability and value for our customers.”

Garabedian said the efficiency milestone is also a signal that First Solar’s CdTe modules are becoming a more attractive option for application in constrained space projects and commercial/industrial installations. “With the highest demonstrated thin-film module performance, we are positioned to pursue new deployment opportunities around the world,” he said.

The specifics of the news can sometimes be lost in the self-congratulatory press releases, with only a special few understanding just why “aperture area” is important. Simply put, however, the more efficient a solar module can convert energy into electricity the more energy a single module can produce and, therefore, the more efficient solar technology becomes.

Simple, right?

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Tags: First Solar, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, record, thin film record, thin-film

About the Author

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

lkwjr

Wonder what efficiency will be recorded with Graphene nanotechnology??
stgore

This is great news. Congratulations to the R&D team at First Solar!
spec9

damn, that is pretty good. Are the panels still cheap at that efficiency?
JamesWimberley

Remarkable progress in a short time. 17% overlaps with mainstream polycrystalline silicon panels, Mind you, First Solar were staring down the barrel of a gun and had to get more efficient or disappear.

Maybe this news will stimulate the first-tier silicon producers to invest more in panel efficiency R&D, and not just in production improvements as they have been doing. Who will be first to a mass-market two-layer module at 30% efficiency?
- Bill Kalahurka
  
  Yes, this is impressive. I have long thought that First Solar’s insistence on exclusively working with thin film (non-silicon) was going to lead to their slow demise. I am glad to be proven wrong.
  I know that Sunpower is constantly pushing the envelope on module efficiency. I’ve also got my eye on Solar 3D, although their technology is still in the developmental stage. I haven’t heard of anyone trying to develop a cost-competitive dual junction cell yet.
  - JamesWimberley
    
    Oxford Photovoltaics for one. (http://www.oxfordpv.com/oxford-pv-news/oxford-pv-reveals-breakthrough-in-efficiency-of-new-class-of-solar-cell) But it’s a tiny startup, years from commercialization. There must be other similar garage operations. Panasonic, a major producer, sells two-layer cells, but they aren’t two-junction: http://panasonic.net/ecosolutions/solar/hit/
  - mds
    
    http://www.pv-tech.org/news/stion_claims_prototype_cigs_mini_module_conversion_efficiency_of_23.2 – February 2013
    “Stion claims prototype CIGS mini-module conversion efficiency of 23.2%”
    “ ‘Achieving 23.2% cell efficiency and 20% mini-module efficiency …’ ”
    I think this is their “tandem junction” PV, which mean two layer.
    I was very skeptical they could achieve 15% so quickly after hovering around 11% for years. I too am happy to be proved wrong. They aren’t quite at 15% yet, but boy are they moving fast, very impressive.