Cost Of Solar Set To Plummet With New 44.7% Efficiency Record

[Bill USA]

http://theenergycollective.com/tinacasey/279671/cost-solar-set-plummet-new-447-efficiency-record?utm_source=tec_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&inf_contact_key=2c8c5d3bbb803fa3e98084de9831195ade111009c33849b810f11c8eae222e8c

A research team in Europe has achieved a world record-setting solar conversion efficiency of 44.7 percent, and assuming that higher efficiency translates into lower costs, it’s yet another indicator that we’re only at the beginning of a long, steep decline in the cost of solar power.

Solar (and wind, for that matter), is already competitive with or cheaper than coal in an increasing number of US markets, and with solar cell efficiency edging thisclose to the 50 percent efficiency mark, we’re expecting to see those trend lines grow farther and faster in the near future.

With our usual caveat that there are a number of different solar technologies out there and different ways of measuring conversion efficiency, let’s look at the new record-setting claim.

The research partnership consists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, top cutting edge semiconductor manufacturer Soitec, the French R&D organization CEA-Leti, and the Helmholtz Center Berlin.
(more)

[dimbear]

1. Go on down to the comments, which are very well informed too.

Interesting development.