Spectrolab Achieves World Record Solar Cell Efficiency

26 August 2009 3:04 PM CEST Source

SYLMAR, Calif., (Boeing) — Spectrolab Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], today announced that a solar cell it manufactured has set a new world record for terrestrial concentrator solar cell efficiency. The cell can convert 41.6 percent of concentrated sunlight into electricity.

The U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., independently tested the efficiency of the Spectrolab cell in June, validating that it surpassed the previous record of 41.1 percent held by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.

High-efficiency solar cells in concentrator systems require fewer cells to produce the same electrical output as conventional solar cells. They enable energy producers to generate more electrical power from typical industrial solar panels and pass on lower costs to homeowners, businesses and other end users.

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