44% Efficiency Solar Cells?

....at concentrations exceeding 1,000 suns....

Interesting, so they use a magnifier to intensify the light and focus it onto a solar cell then capture 44% of the available energy? I wonder if you could use fiber optics and 'sunflowers' to alter the shape and look of solar energy.

I am not up to speed on solar, how much of an improvement is this?

Drew K

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/real_estate/publications/alternative_uses_of_highway_right-of-way/rep03.cfm

A total waste of money!

Concentrating light means cooling is required normally. A big deal

Boeing has long made a 43% efficient cell - for NASA as no one else can afford it.

From the lab to the field for the consumer is a long way!

The average efficiency for a silicone cell today is in the 15 to 20% range.

What is the maximum available Solar Energy Intensity at ground level. That defines the maximum energy EVER recoverable. The numbers are (I believe) on the Internet and quite low making installations of excessive size necessary for cheap power. Of course, solar is practical for small energy consumption devices.

Average over the entire earth = 164 Watts per square meter over a 24 hour day...or direct sunlight at the earth's surface when the sun is at zenith is about 1050 W/m², but the total amount (direct and indirect from the atmosphere) hitting the ground is around 1120 W/m².^[3] In terms of energy, sunlight at the earth's surface is around 52 or 55 percent infrared (above 700 nm), 43 or 42 percent visible (400 to 700 nm), and 5 or 3 percent ultraviolet (below 400 nm).^{[4] [5]} ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight

Between 800 and 1000 watts per m2

Pay the money, do the R&D and be open minded as to the materials and the required locations, and higher efficiencies are possible.

In my neck of the earth, there are big open spaces (32 degrees south lat). At the end of the day, there is a balance between initial install cost, PV life, purpose and place. My initial PV had a nominal 11% efficiency and cost $9 a watt in 1988 dollars. (See solar train entering a tunnel in the south island of New Zealand - part of a 40,000km world marathon run not yet finished! But it worked .. running at 60 volts with lead acid battery backup).

My latest PV costs around 50 cents / watt. I guess the efficiency is around 15%. Fortunately I have space to collect that 1000 watts/sqm ... but admittedly, not very efficiently.

What will be the efficiency of PV panel in the form of a sphere on which direct as well as indirect sunlight from any direction can fall?.

Lousy - only a small percentage would be aimed at the sun at any time.

Light reflected in polished surfaces facing other directions of the globe will add to the output.

How much? It is nothing in relation to a properly aimed cell and the cost goes way up.

Solyndra was going down that road.

Pretty good if it's a Dyson Sphere.

Being a positive type of Guy and simply assuming that this report has a lot of truth in it for the moment, I can only applaud and hope that they will be available soon....perhaps with water cooling to up the efficiency even further and to increase the usable life span.....

Such a development is sorely needed......hopefully the price will be right.....

A boss from years back used to make the comment, "Wish in one hand and do #2 in the other - come back and tell us which fills up first".

There have been no real economical advances in solar PV efficiency for years - none on the horizon either. Reports like this one are from people trolling university research dept web sites.