NREL Six-Junction Solar Cell Sets Two World Records for Efficiency

[Meredith Poor + 883]

https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2020/nrel-six-junction-solar-cell-sets-two-world-records-for-efficiency.html

"Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have fabricated a solar cell with an efficiency of nearly 50%.

The six-junction solar cell now holds the world record for the highest solar conversion efficiency at 47.1%, which was measured under concentrated illumination. A variation of the same cell also set the efficiency record under one-sun illumination at 39.2%." First two sentences of news release.

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,131]

Thanks, had not looked at NREL news lately. 

So, NREL is just publishing/furthering their own research. 

But only useful in Satellites or a mega concentrator where the cell in question is encased.  So, not news.  Just slight advancement over current generation same same. 

Their cheap solar mirror was far superior, but I could not figure out how to make it myself without more expensive machines.  Fix this problem and then solar collectors can become a real deal.  Will have to keep using my DIY fixed, non tracing semi parabolics using glass cover and old roadside political signs/heavy aluminum foil. 

Still want to get my hands on these junction solar cells, put them in a glass tube, seal the tube, and place in my DIY concentrator but cannot get anyone to sell me the solar cells.  They refuse to talk to anyone not a major corporation.... and you wonder why there is not advancement today....

 

[Meredith Poor + 883]

3 hours ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

Thanks, had not looked at NREL news lately. 

So, NREL is just publishing/furthering their own research. 

But only useful in Satellites or a mega concentrator where the cell in question is encased.  So, not news.  Just slight advancement over current generation same same. 

Their cheap solar mirror was far superior, but I could not figure out how to make it myself without more expensive machines.  Fix this problem and then solar collectors can become a real deal.  Will have to keep using my DIY fixed, non tracing semi parabolics using glass cover and old roadside political signs/heavy aluminum foil. 

Still want to get my hands on these junction solar cells, put them in a glass tube, seal the tube, and place in my DIY concentrator but cannot get anyone to sell me the solar cells.  They refuse to talk to anyone not a major corporation.... and you wonder why there is not advancement today....

 

NREL is a lab. They have figured out how to create this cell 'by hand'. This will have to be licensed to commercial manufacturers before you can order one. The company likely to do that first is Spectrolab (.com). Given what they sell, you will need to be a US citizen and you will agree not to export what you buy without a Department of Commerce license. This is one of the reasons cells like this are so expensive.

While NREL has built this cell, it isn't clear that it will last very long. They've come up with an impressive number, but no one has any idea whether this thing will continue with this level of output for the next 10 or 25 years.

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,131]

2 hours ago, Meredith Poor said:

While NREL has built this cell, it isn't clear that it will last very long. They've come up with an impressive number, but no one has any idea whether this thing will continue with this level of output for the next 10 or 25 years.

Appears the obvious was missed: This is a slight improvement on EXISTING tech ALREADY used in satellite solar cells. 

[Meredith Poor + 883]

16 minutes ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

Appears the obvious was missed: This is a slight improvement on EXISTING tech ALREADY used in satellite solar cells. 

While that is true 'on the surface', existing satellite cells are 4 junction. The newly announced cell is 6 junction, meaning 6 distinct layers capturing different parts of the spectrum. The wattage might be 'similar', but this represents a significant advancement in fabrication.

[markslawson + 1,042]

On 4/16/2020 at 6:13 AM, Meredith Poor said:

"Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have fabricated a solar cell with an efficiency of nearly 50%.

Its certainly interesting but as the other posters have pointed out its a high-cost approach so really you're talking specialist applications such as satellites. It should work well on satellites. The article also mentions combining such cells with mirrors to make better solar concentrators. Plants using better-panels and mirrors have been built but I don't think they are a major feature of the green energy scene. Rather than mess around with mirrors why not install a few more lessor-quality panels? In any case we have more than enough of them on houses roofs, and integrating those into the power grids is hard enough..