French semiconductor specialist Soitec claims to have achieved a 38.9% conversion efficiency in a module incorporating one of its high-efficiency four-junction concentrator PV (CPV) cells.
Although the company has largely exited the solar business now, it is continuing to develop technology under its so-called SmartCell project, which last December produced a record 46% conversion efficiency in a CPV cell.
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Yesterday the company said it had integrated one of these cells into a CPV module, resulting in a 38.9% conversion rate. CPV modules use Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight onto small, multi-junction solar cells.
For the record, the four-junction SmartCells were incorporated into a module using the same platform as existing CPV modules employing three-junction cells.
Tests performed on the module by German research institute Fraunhofer ISE, which has been one of Soitec’s partners in developing the technology, revealed an efficiency of 38.9%, ±0.9%, for a 1,000W/m² direct normal irradiation and a 25° C cell temperature. The record module has an aperture area of 812cm², and uses 36 lenses and SmartCells.
Paul Boudre, CEO of Soitec, said: “While we announced earlier this year Soitec’s refocus on its core semiconductor materials business, we also decided to keep all assets related to our SmartCell project in the company’s new strategic scope. Indeed, it opens many business opportunities in different kinds of industries for Soitec. In the present case, the SmartCell paves the way for further cost reductions in solar energy, as it can be integrated in a record-efficiency CPV module suitable for mass production.”
Earlier this year Soitec revealed it was selling the majority of its solar business to ConcenSolar. However, the company said it would continue to develop the four-junction cell technology, with the aim of bringing it to the market.