A worldwide manufacturer of flexible, lightweight thin-film solar modules, United Solar has reached another milestone by achieving a solar cell conversion efficiency of 16.3%. This efficiency is greater than the company’s earlier record of 15.4%.
The cell efficiency was attained on a small area of 0.25 cm2 by utilizing a triple-junction structure featuring the patented Nano-Crystalline silicon technology.
The Chairman of United Solar, Dr. Subhendu Guha will discuss the conversion efficiency results at the 2011 Intersolar North America event in San Francisco.
United Solar will send the high-efficiency solar cells to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for testing and confirmation processes. Recently, the NREL had confirmed that a 12% initial conversion efficiency was achieved in a large-area cell using United Solar’s Nano-Crystalline technology. This also sets a record for thin-film silicon solar technology.
Interim President of United Solar's parent firm, Energy Conversion Devices, Jay Knoll stated that the company’s patented technology now has the potential to achieve 16.3% conversion efficiency, which will pave way in the development of thin-film silicon technology.