SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) and Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) both announced new records in solar cell efficiency.
SunPower announced that its newest solar panel offers significantly higher power output and conversion efficiency than its current products. The new SPR-315 solar panel uses its new 22-percent-efficient Gen 2 solar cells and carries a rated power output of 315 watts – breaking the 300 watt barrier.
The new design enables customers to generate up to 50% more power per square foot of roof area with half as many panels, maximizing energy production while reducing installation costs.
A typical 4 kilowatt (AC rating) solar system requires 30 conventional 160 watt panels and covers 410 square feet of roof space. The new SPR 315 panels produce an equivalent amount of power using only 15 solar panels on 265 square feet.
Kyocera announced it has achieved a new world record of 18.5% energy conversion efficiency for a 15cm x 15cm multicrystalline silicon solar cell.
Prior records for energy conversion efficiency in multicrystalline cells of this size were also set by Kyocera, including 14.5% in 1989, 17.1% in 1996, and 17.7% in 2004.
Kyocera’s other recent efficiency benchmarks were achieved both by optimizing the cell’s grid-line configuration and by texturing the cell’s surface using the company’s proprietary “d.Blue” process, which maximizes sunlight collection by reducing reflectivity. The latest improvement is the result of increasing the amount of light intercepted by the cell by moving the front contacts to the back of the cell.
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