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40 Comments
- MarkusX, on 05/22/2009, -0/+15"Sanyo also tells us it expanding its solar business, based on its 'Think GAIA' campaign, which aims 'to realize a clean energy society'."
dugg that. - karmabandit, on 05/23/2009, -0/+6Comparing apples to oranges. This is a "single junction" solar cell, i.e. one semiconductor, silicon. With that type, the absolute fundamental thermodynamic limit to efficiency is around 33% (Shockley-Queisser limit). The 40% cell is a multiple junction cell, with multiple semiconductors. Costs skyrocket with those, so they will never be used to "cover arizona" and power the US. In fact, they typically use semiconductors that don't even exist on Earth in quantities large enough to do that, regardless of cost. Depending on the number of semiconductor layers used, the absolute fundamental limit to efficiency goes up to around 68% with an infinite number of layers.
Also, those numbers are for "one sun" of intensity. Efficiency can increase if you concentrate a lot of power into a small area, increasing the effective number of suns of intensity. This article is about a silicon cell with 1 sun of intensity, and I believe the Cyrium cell is in a concentrated environment.
So, apples to oranges. - VictoriaCross, on 05/23/2009, -1/+7Isn't it good that Sanyo gets good, cheap, clean technology out, even if via Wal Mart? You're an elitist if you think otherwise.
- askantik, on 05/23/2009, -0/+6Not true... Photosynthesis supposedly only turns around 8% of the energy taken in as light into biological energy. At least if I understand it correctly--- there's a lot of stuff about quantam levels and energy efficiency is different for different wavelengths of light, etc...
From http://www.agriton.nl/higa.html :
Although the potential utilization rate of solar energy by plants has been estimated theoretically at between 10 and 20%, the actual utilization rate is less than 1%. Even the utilization rate of C4 plants, such as sugar cane whose photosynthetic efficiency is very high, barely exceeds 6 or 7% during the maximum growth period. The utilization rate is normally less than 3% even for optimum crop yields. } - inactive, on 05/23/2009, -0/+4Tosses Watermelon..
- viruz, on 05/23/2009, -0/+4Cyrium today announced that they have achieved >40% for solar conversion
http://www.solid-state.com/display_news/178340/5/H ... - kentifer, on 05/23/2009, -1/+4i see what you did there.
- Wrangler76, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3If they're heavily invested into extracting and refining OIL, why should they switch to selling solar panels?
- askantik, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3Solar FTW
- Hu99, on 05/23/2009, -1/+4300' x 650'. Not the most efficient solar panels, but they have the WORLD RECORD!!!!
- kyoobeh, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3 so, I know this *just* from the ***** description.
"Electronics giant Sanyo says it has broken its own world record for solar cell efficiency"
ITS OWN WORLD RECORD.
I guess the title could be changed to read a bit better, but come on dude, RTFA. - Wrangler76, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3They have really good rechargeable batteries though.
- vizerei, on 05/23/2009, -0/+3.....
- LonelyTylenoL, on 05/23/2009, -2/+4Plants still hold world record for biological solar cell efficiency.
- LonelyTylenoL, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2I have always wondered if certain plants could be genetically engineered to have cells like the cells of an electric eel (electrocytes) which produced small electric discharges.
- Twitcheh, on 05/23/2009, -1/+3The future seems brighter every day. ^_^
*cowers away from the flying fruit* - macas, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2Sanyo have always great ideas which have good result,dugg.
- eviljolly, on 05/23/2009, -1/+3I imagine if the powers that be did not have such an interest in oil, that we would be seeing more widespread use of solar power.
- Barackalypse, on 05/23/2009, -1/+3Unfortunately for them its dollars per watt that is the only efficiency measure that matters in the real world.
- spo0oky, on 05/23/2009, -0/+2Highly Mismatched Alloys are created in a special manufacturing process, that allows for a theoretical 75% efficiency. The Berkley Material Sciences Division has had a great idea in the works for a while now, and I believe the story is buried deep in the Digg archive. I can only hope that we will see something of this soon.
- CyclonusRIP, on 05/23/2009, -1/+3I think the cells that promise over 70% efficiency are only theoretical efficiencies and only exist on paper.
- TypeEE, on 05/23/2009, -1/+2The last time I read, it was 41% that was the highest efficiency
- Barackalypse, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1@maccam94, yes, I am. BP built the largest wind energy farm in the Midwest, plus a $100 million solar production line in India and a $70 million expansion to their solar plant in the US. Shell is investing in biofuels as their renewable energy play. Exxon is the only one of the major companies I am aware of that is purposely avoiding investment in these areas.
http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categor ...
@Wrangler76, its called diversification, they're transitioning from being just petroleum companies to being energy companies. Why did Microsoft start selling hardware like mice and keyboards? - NavS, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1Only if we could power a car with daises...
- cambob76, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1Its specific type of solar cell.
"SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) announced today that it has broken its own record for the world’s highest energy conversion efficiency in practical size (100 cm2 or more) crystalline silicon-type solar cells, achieving a efficiency of 23.0% (until now 22.3%) at a research level for its proprietary HIT solar photovoltaic cells."
This is the solar cell that average consumers will buy. It has a max theoretical efficiency of 33% - baltakatei, on 05/23/2009, -0/+1Link to the original published paper?
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -1/+2Like roof tiles that are solar panels and also supply heat energy in winter while cooling in summer.
- Hu99, on 05/24/2009, -0/+1You get dugg for 5 ***** dots?
- vizerei, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1Actually I thought algae held that record, unless you consider them plants.
- abadonn, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1Amazing, I wonder how much these will cost when mass produced. How close are we to passing coal in $/kW?
- Barackalypse, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1Do you really think Shell or BP care if they're selling you oil or solar panels anymore than McDonald's cares if they sell you Coke or Spite?
- maccam94, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1So you're telling me that the oil companies are heavily investing in Solar and wind technology? Come on, the first company to create high efficiency solar cells will come from the semiconductor industry.
You can keep selling someone oil, but once they have enough solar panels they won't be buying any more. - devnullDood, on 05/23/2009, -1/+1Im glad someone here understands the difference. People just dont get it.
- inactive, on 05/23/2009, -1/+0lol Sanyo just pulled a fast one on most of you.
- onegoodsoul, on 05/23/2009, -3/+2Cool! I like under achievers. When you aim for 23 percent in anything, you will never be disappointed!
- nugz85, on 05/23/2009, -3/+2they make the most garbage electronic, especially their tv's they sell at walmart.
- yocouchdigga, on 05/23/2009, -9/+723 solar panels per cent?
How big are the panels!? - acparks1, on 05/23/2009, -8/+6Sanyo? Isn't that a Wal-mart brand?
- vizerei, on 05/23/2009, -5/+3I'm sorry, but this is utter crap. Solar Panel efficiency of 30% or more is not unheard of, it's just expensive. 23% would have been the record 10 years ago.
In addition to that, I remember seeing an article on digg about a 7 layer carbon nanotubes coating increasing the efficiency to over 90%.
Burried as inaccurate. - Hu99, on 05/23/2009, -5/+2Sony, Apple, Canon, Blackberry, Nikon.....
One of these things is not like the other ones.........it's *****!
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