Flexible solar cell efficiency increases
Swiss scientists have increased the efficiency of flexible solar cells to 20,4%.
Scientists of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, also known as Empa, have succeeded to create flexible solar cells with a energy efficiency of 20,4 percent. This is the highest energy efficiency for these types of solar cells.
The Empa researchers have developed a flexible energy efficient solar cell using a thin foam layer of copper, indium, gallium, selenide or in short CIGS, and a certain type of plastic. The efficiency of 20,4% means according to Phys.org that a new record for flexible solar cells has been made. The Swiss achievement breaks the efficiency of the last flexible solar cell which had a energy efficiency of 18,7 percent (may 2011).
Flexible solar cells are far lighter and usable in a wide variety of ways than rigid, glass solar cells. They are also cheaper to produce than common glass solar panels cause of the use of a cheaper so called roll-to-roll production method.
Empa is now working with the start-up company Flisom to produce the flexible CGIS-solar cells on a large scale to commercialize its findings.
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