Japanese company Sharp Corp, which makes industrial and consumer electronics, has developed the world’s most efficient solar cell. According to the company, the cell has the capability to turn sunlight into electricity at a rate which is the world’s highest so far.
The company said that with the use of technology pioneered for satellites, the solar cell converted 36.9 per cent of the light’s energy into power.
The company mentioned in a statement, “Sharp achieved this latest breakthrough as a result of a research and development (R&D) initiative promoted by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) on the theme of R&D on Innovative Solar Cells. Measurement of the value of 36.9 per cent, which sets a new record for the world’s highest non-concentrating conversion efficiency, was confirmed at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).”
In the future, processes for transferring ultra-thin photovoltaic layers onto film substrates will make lightweight, flexible solar cells possible. In future, Sharp aims to take full advantage of this latest development success for use in concentrator-type solar cells, as well as for practical applications such as on space satellites and for flight craft and land vehicles.
