EMCORE Announces Record Conversion Efficiency of Multi-Junction Concentrator Solar Cells
EMCORE Corp. is claiming that it has attained a record 39% conversion efficiency under 1000x concentrated illumination on its multi-junction solar cell products currently in high volume production. These solar cells are for terrestrial Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) applications.
EMCORE’s Concentrator Triple-Junction (CTJ) solar cells were designed and optimized for the most desirable operating conditions, i.e. 500-1000x concentration, for commercial CPV systems. The record conversion efficiency of 39% was measured on 1-cm(2) production concentrator solar cells and at 1000x illumination. EMCORE is currently manufacturing CTJ cells with a variety of form factors for multiple customers and has shipped several million concentrator solar cells to CPV system manufacturers worldwide. As a part of the planned high-volume product roadmap, EMCORE’s continuing investment in technological innovation will enable the introduction of concentrator solar cell products with conversion efficiencies of greater than 40% under the high illumination operating conditions required for next generation, cost competitive CPV systems.
David Danzilio,Vice President and General Manager of EMCORE’s Photovoltaics Division commented, "We believe this technical and operational advancement represents a significantValue creation for our customers. Solar cells with 1000x conversion efficiency of 39% will enable CPV system developers to deploy competitive solar power installations with the lowest cost per kw-hr. We are committed to continuing our investment in CPV solar cell technology and production capacity to support our customers ever increasing requirements for performance, cost, and capacity."
