First Solar says it has set another world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic module conversion efficiency, achieving 18.6 per cent aperture efficiency for an advanced full size module.
The achievement marks the first time that a record module has been demonstrated to be more efficient than the best multi-crystalline module. It has been measured and certified by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
This 18.6 per cent aperture area efficiency corresponds to a full area conversion efficiency of 18.2 per cent, which easily beats the best recorded multi-crystalline Si PERC module with an approximate full area efficiency of 17.7 per cent (based on 19.1 per cent aperture efficiency and published module area data).
This achievement is the eighth substantial update to CdTe record efficiency since 2011, continuing a disruptive and sustained trend of rapid performance improvements, says First Solar. In January, the Arizona-based firm produced a research cell with 21.5 per cent conversion efficiency.
Nick Strevel, First Solar's senior manager of Technology, noted that efficiency combined with other real-world performance attributes result in thin film technology delivering higher energy density than multi-crystalline Silicon (m-Si) solar panels. Given the same installed nameplate module capacity (Watts) with equivalent ground coverage ratio, he said, First Solar's CdTe product will provide up to 8 per cent more useable energy from the same land area than m-Si, which gives First Solar a competitive advantage over other PV technologies.
"A narrow focus on simple metrics such as standard-test-condition (STC) efficiency or cost per STC-watt obscures the actual value of solar generation technologies," said Strevel. "Customers value energy produced by a solar power plant (kWh), not its nominal STC power rating. Metrics with greater relevance to real-world conditions - including specific energy yield, energy density, cost/kWh and long term reliability - ultimately tell a much more comprehensive story of real-world performance and are more influential in reducing levelised cost of solar electricity."
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