In the scientific and engineering world, competition can be fierce, and while researchers are not fighting nail and tooth per se, there is no denying that everyone wants to come out on top. In the solar industry, solar panels are nearing their theoretical limit, and it seems that the future of photovoltaics might just be cemented by Fraunhofer’s “50 Percent” project. The Germans are pulling out all the stops to show us what this future looks like, and we may even witness their latest breakthrough soon.
Significant advancements since the first photovoltaics
Change is inevitable, and some people believe new inventions are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change while meeting the ever-rising energy demands of the world. However, others believe that developing current innovations is key to achieving our wildest dreams, particularly in the world of solar technologies. Naturally, a few experts in the field have the same belief, which is why competition is fierce.
Even though some innovations are neck and neck, the Germans are determined to stay ahead of the pack. German researchers have already achieved what was once impossible, as solar panels are near their theoretical limit. This achievement can be credited to significant advancements in photovoltaics since the first designs. Now, we may even catch a glimpse of what the future of photovoltaics will look like.
Solar panels are nearing their theoretical limit
When it comes to creating the “perfect” photovoltaic cell, there are a few factors that researchers generally focus on, which include, but may not be limited to:
- The quality of the material
- The positive-negative (P-N) junction
- Light management, i.e., reflection, absorption, and entrapment
- Current collection and carrying
- Decreasing energy losses
All of these factors make up the photovoltaic cell efficiency, which is what differentiates solar panel technologies. A collaboration between Oxford PV and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) led to the creation of perovskite-silicon tandem panels with an impressive 25% efficiency. However, as impressive as this accomplishment may be, Fraunhofer has proven that the future of photovoltaics will be even more impressive.
According to Fraunhofer’s website, it shares the record for the highest photovoltaic cell efficiency, which is a whopping 46%, with French companies SOITEC and CEA. This record efficiency was achieved in December 2014, and the three pioneering companies are not quite finished yet, as the 50 Percent project is still underway.
Fraunhofer’s “50 Percent” project shows what the future of photovoltaics looks like
The “50 Percent” or (“50Prozent”) project is Fraunhofer’s target efficiency for photovoltaics. Together, they will make use of current knowledge, as well as new research, to create a “multi-junction solar cell” that achieves 50% efficiency. Fraunhofer used computational analysis to determine how they can achieve this efficiency. The answer was to combine the following:
- Current technologies that have been systematically advanced
- Shadow-reduced metal fingers
- An enhanced anti-reflective layer
In 2020, Fraunhofer acquired the necessary infrastructure needed to start its development at the Center for High-Efficiency Solar Cells. New measurement techniques will allow them to measure photovoltaic cells up to 6 sub-cells under customized spectral conditions. Fraunhofer believes that using multi-junction photovoltaic cells in “FLATCON® concentrator modules” will enable them to achieve a 40% module efficiency for the first time.
The duration of Fraunhofer’s “50 Percent” project was set for a little over four years, with the project predicted to end in May 2024. Fraunhofer, in collaboration with SOITEC and CEA, has shown that nothing is impossible and that future photovoltaics will be highly efficient, marking the beginning of a new era in the solar industry. Other unique solar innovations to keep an eye on include the blackest solar cell ever that uses an “impossible” material to produce record energy.
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