news digest ♦ Solar
company has invested in a rooftop test site at its factory in Austin, which serves as a model for in- the-field performance. The outdoor testing facility compares the performance of traditional multi- crystalline silicon modules alongside state-of-the-art thin film modules from a variety of manufacturers.
Monitoring module electrical and physical characteristics in step with irradiance, ambient temperatures and humidity, HelioVolt has been tracking its module performance against its competition.
The test site is a demonstration of HelioVolt’s diligence to ensure delivery of reliable, competitive thin film modules. The data is available to the company’s partners for installation and solar project financial planning purposes.
Honda to Release 13% Efficient CIGS Solar Cell
The company says its CIGS solar cells require little energy in the manufacturing process, making them more eco-friendly than other competitive products.
Honda Soltec, will this year, release a thin-film solar cell with an even more compact design than the current model to allow efficient installation on a wide range of roof shapes.
The module conversion efficiency of the copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) solar cells is expected to exceed 13.0%. The efficiency is a measure of how well the cell can convert solar energy into electricity. This, says Honda, ranks it among the world’s most efficient CIGS-based thin- film solar cells.
The performance of the photosensitive CIGS layer has been improved and the surface area of the surrounding frame and other non-photosensitive portions, reduced. This has increased the module conversion efficiency by approximately 10% compared to the current model, resulting in more power being generated from the same installed surface area.
The new cell has only about two-thirds the module surface area of the current model, allowing it to be installed in limited space on a wide range of roof
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net January / February 2011
A solar cell’s ability to convert sunlight to electric current is limited by the band gaps of the semiconductors from which it is made.
shapes. This will make efficient installation of more thin-film solar cells in a variety of locations easier.
Honda is working to further improve module conversion efficiency as it brings the product to market.
The company also says its independently developed CIGS thin-film solar cells require little energy in the manufacturing process, making them more eco-friendly than competitive products.
Practical Full-Spectrum Solar Cells On the Horizon
Researchers have created a triple junction solar cell using GaAsN grown using MOCVD. The key to making the multiband cell work is to make sure the intermediate band is isolated from the contacts where current is collected.
Solar cells are made from semiconductors whose ability to respond to light is determined by their band gaps (energy gaps). Different colours have different energies, and no single semiconductor has a band gap that can respond to sunlight’s full range. Although in the past, full-spectrum solar cells have been made, none have been suitable for manufacture at a consumer-friendly price.
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