The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has confirmed a 15.5% aperture area efficiency on commercial size flexible PV module (total area 1.68m2) from thin-film manufacturer MiaSolé. MiaSolé’s record represents over 2 points of improvement compared to the previous world record for flexible PV of 13.4% set earlier this year by SoloPower.
“Achieving 15.5% efficiency is a clear validation of MiaSolé’s unique and innovative approach to delivering high efficiency CIGS flexible cell technology,” said John Carrington, CEO of MiaSolé. “MiaSolé’s world leading efficiency and low cost flexible PV technology demonstrates the potential of CIGS compared to silicon-based and other thin film technologies.”
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“Along with our current capacity to deliver 14.5% glass modules, the NREL verification of our flexible modules highlights the progress we are continuously making against our efficiency roadmap and goal of delivering the lowest levelized cost of electricity to our customers,” added Carrington.
The cells for the record device were made using MiaSolé’s existing production lines in Santa Clara, California. MiaSolé’s large area flexible PV module was submitted for evaluation by NREL as part of the company's ongoing process for third party verification.
