solar efficiency

CdTe solar cells are the second-most common photovoltaic technology after silicon solar cells. In 2022, they represented about one-third of the U.S. utility-scale solar market. CdTe solar cells rely on a thin film of material to absorb light and convert it into electricity. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

In Ultrathin Layers, NREL Researchers Find A Path To Better Materials

Unexpected Crystalline Structure Explains Mechanism of Long-Used Solar Cell Treatment and Hints That Further Materials Discoveries Await For more than … [continued]

NREL Intern Alyssa Boll looks at a 3D rendering of ventilation in a car in the 3D Visualization Lab at NREL. The laboratory's simulations and visualizations often rely on NREL's high-performance computing resources. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

The Top 20 NREL Stories Of 2022

Throughout 2022, researchers, staff, and leadership at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) worked together … [continued]

Chromasun Harvests Sun’s Heat & Photons with Hybrid Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic — Thermal Modules

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.