EPIR, NREL achieve breakthrough CdTe cell efficiency

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

EPIR Technologies has joined a select group of solar cell developers by creating a polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) cell for commercial use with an efficiency exceeding 15%. The cells were developed with the help of a team of scientists from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the 15.2% efficiency achieved far surpasses the previous best figure on soda-lime glass of 14.4%.

“The combination of EPIR's expertise in CdTe materials and NREL's expertise in CdTe solar cell device technology has empowered us to achieve these excellent results in a short timeframe.”said Dr. Siva Sivananthan, founder and CEO of EPIR.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The record-breaking numbers were driven by a fill factor of 77.6% – one of the highest values ever recorded for a CdTe cell, according to Dr. Chollada Gilmore, EPIR's CdTe solar cell technical lead. “These results are significant because our solar cells were fabricated using inexpensive commercial TEC-series glass substrates as opposed to technical-grade glass which is commonly used in champion cell fabrication.”

“This is an important advancement for CdTe thin-film PV technology because it not only surpasses the previous best result that was published for commercial soda-lime glass by a clear margin, but all the layers incorporated into this new device structure are consistent with present commercial manufacturing processes,” added Dr. Timothy Gessert, the principal scientist and group manager of the NREL CdTe research group.

EPIR did not disclose any information on when the CdTe cell would be ready for consumer distribution.

Read Next

July 14, 2025
ACWA Power has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) for five solar PV projects in the country.
July 14, 2025
Elements Green has secured €80 million (US$93.5 million) in financing from Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).
July 14, 2025
Solar and storage developer MN8 Energy has raised US$575 million to refinance three PV projects in North Carolina, Kentucky and Illinois.
July 14, 2025
OpenSolar has launched a new model to help US rooftop solar installers reduce costs and thrive despite the loss of the 30% IRA tax credit.
July 14, 2025
Analyst Wood Mackenzie has forecast that solar PV and wind installations in the US will be 100GW lower than expected between 2025 and 2030 with the removal of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK