Image source: Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems
Researchers at Oxford PV, a solar cell technology company funded by the University of Oxford, may have just developed the most efficient solar panel yet.
The company has successfully created a solar cell that achieves a conversion efficiency of 28.6% in a commercial-sized panel, well above the 16-24% efficiency typical of most commercial solar panels. Even better, the company says its panels can theoretically achieve 43% efficiency.
While that number may still be a long way off, Oxford PV says it has a clear roadmap to achieve efficiencies of over 30%.
The company achieved this extraordinary level of efficiency by using perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell technology—the same approach used by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who also reportedly recently broke the record for the most efficient solar cell record of.
Regardless of who ends up officially holding the record, it seems clear that perovskite-silicon tandems are the future of solar power.
Perovskite has been dubbed a “miracle material” by scientists for its ability to absorb light, which combined with the fact that it can be made at room temperature makes it more sustainable and cheaper than current methods of making solar panels. By combining it with silicon, a more traditional material used to make solar cells, scientists have been able to harness the best qualities of both materials.
One scientist even called it “kind of like Michael Jordan on the basketball court. He’s great on his own, but it also makes all the other players better.”
Commenters on Electrek are cautiously optimistic about the breakthrough.
One commenter wrote: “This is almost a bigger win for materials science, as previous chemical panels that broke the 30%-plus efficiency realm were so expensive that they were limited to aerospace applications where ‘cost is not an issue.'”
Another wrote: “It’s too early to have a big discussion about this. But solar and battery technology will improve every year. Fossil fuel efficiency has been at its peak for a long time.”
A third wrote: “I think it’s awesome that solar panels are getting better every year as wattage increases and are able to provide power on cloudy days.”
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