Spectrolab touts record CPV efficiency
Spectrolab says it has developed a concentrated solar cell with record 41.6% efficiency, surpassing the 41.1% mark attained by the Fraunhofer Institute. The technology specifically is an advanced version of Spectrolab's lattice-matched cell technology, a triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cell already being used in space and terrestrial applications. Improvements in wafer processing reduce metal grid shadowing and series resistance, raising the cell's overall efficiency, the firm notes in a statement. The efficiency mark was independently tested and confirmed by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO.