Solar cell industry is really coming of age and modern solar panels are becoming more and more efficient with latest technology revving them up. What is important is the fact that we are trying to enhance the technology available in a green fashion and no chemical or fossil fuel energy is added to it. The current solar panels still have a long way to go, but they sure are on right path towards a brighter and sunnier future.
Sunrgi’s 1-kilowatt array concentrates light 1,600 times to save money on solar cells. It has built a prototype device that magnifies light 1,600 times onto expensive germanium solar cells. The company intends to produce the devices in 12 to 15 months, and says they will capable of generating electricity at 5 cents a kilowatt hour–competitive with coal-fired power plants. This allows the current solar cells to be more efficient than any of the ones in the past. The technology allows the current solar cells to increase their productivity.
By focusing light onto high-end cells, the device can convert 37 percent of sunlight to electricity–substantially higher than the 15 to 20 percent range for typical silicon solar panels. Concentration also allows manufacturers to use less material for cells, which is a large portion of a system’s cost. With Sunrgi’s extreme Concentrated Photo-voltaics system, the temperatures can go higher than 3,000 degrees. The solar cells now can match some of the grids across the planet and that will only mean that more homes will welcome the more efficient technology.
