Solar Cell Efficiency Sets a New Peak
Researchers at the US Department of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) constructed a solar cell with a record 39.5 percent efficiency in 1-sun global irradiation. This is the most efficient solar cell of any sort when measured in the same conditions.
The record was set under sunlight-like lighting conditions. While previous experimental solar cells achieved an efficiency of up to 47.1 percent, it is important to note that they did so in highly concentrated illumination.
In fact, researchers used multi-…
