Sunpower Announces Commercial 22% Efficient Solar Cells

SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), manufacturer of the world's highest efficiency, commercially available solar cells and solar panels, today announced its newest solar panel, offering significantly higher power output and conversion efficiency than its current products. The new SPR-315 solar panel utilizes the company's newly developed 22-percent-efficient Gen 2 solar cells and carries a rated power output of 315 Watts. Improved panel efficiency was obtained through a combination of enhanced cell architecture and improved packing density.

"The new SPR-315 solar panel enables our customers to generate more power with fewer panels - maximizing energy production while reducing installation cost. A typical 4 kilowatt (AC rating) solar system requires 30 conventional 160 watt panels and covers 410 square feet of roof space. Our new SPR 315 panels produce an equivalent amount of power using only 15 solar panels on 265 square feet." said Peter Aschenbrenner, vice president of marketing and sales.

According to a paper presented in September 2006:

SunPower’s next generation solar cell is targeted at 22.4% efficiency on 170um wafers, which will bring polysilicon consumption to less than 6 g/W.

SunPower solar cells are unique because the metal contacts needed to collect and conduct electricity are on the back surface of the solar cells – away from the sunlight. This design eliminates reflective metal contacts on the front of the solar cell. In addition to improving cell performance, this design leaves the front surface with a uniformly black appearance.  SunPower solar cells are manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility outside of Manila capable of producing 75 megawatts per year. This facility has space for approximately 100 megawatts per year of production. Cypress Semiconductor Corporation has a majority interest in SunPower.

Comments

[g bruno]

Some of the highest plant growth in seen in pinus radiata tree growth
20-50m³/ha/yr = 14-35T/ha/yr = 1.4 -3.5 kg/m²/yr = 19 - 48MJ/m²/yr
(1 kg of Fuelwood = 13.8 Mj ) I oven dried tonne of wood = 16xlO9 joules
if solar = 300-700Watts for 6 hours/day/m² = 750-1,500 KwH = 2.7-5.5E3MJ/m²/yr
so efficiency ranges from 19*100/5.5E3 = 0.35% Low to 48*100/2.7E3 1.8%high
this doesnt include energy in cutting, drying, chipping, transporting

[G Eddy]

It would be helpful if g bruno would translate his post, above, into the English, so we could all understand what he is saying.

[Harvey D.]

I may be wrong, but it seems that:

1) Wood from Pinus radiata trees could produce an average (gross) 33 MJ/M2/Yr. Net energy production may be much less or as little as 4 times less or about 8 MJ/M2/Yr.

2) High performance sun panels can produce an average of 4.1 MJ/M2/Yr

Why bother with trees using (good land + hard work + transformation pollution) when clean power could be provided with sun cells on about twice the (useless desert land) area.

Economical/practical large scale sun energy storage remains to be solved. Energy production diversity + time zones + decentralized storage could help.

[George]

The solar cells produce electricity, a very high quality of energy. It can be converted into either motion or heat with little loss. The energy of biomass is presumably based on the heat produced from oxidation. So not only do you have polluting combustion byproducts to worry about, but if you want to convert that heat to motion you will suffer the Carnot inefficiency of a heat engine. I am in agreement with Harvey D.

A bit more on topic, does anyone know what these panels cost? 22% isn't that big of a deal on top of a building if it costs 3 times as much as 11%... On top of a car might be a different story.

[Seg]

The new SPR-315 solar panel is planned for commercial availability in the Spring of 2007.

No pricing yet.

[Engineer-Poet]

Just as long as you recognize that wood is storable energy and (on the relevant time scales) PV might as well not be, the two are not direct competitors.  But the efficiency argument is well-considered.

Kudos to Harvey D. for the excellent translation.

[TObject]

world's highest efficiency?
is that a freaking joke?

Spectrolab's cells(i.e. Mars rovers) are close to 40% efficiency and available NOW

[Ronald Brak]

Spectrolab produces solar cells of very high efficiency, but they are very expensive and I don't think they produce flat panels for intended for household use. I think they have produced a solar concentrator, but that's quite different from a flat panel.

[Engineer-Poet]

World's highest efficiency for polycrystalline silicon cells, if you actually care about the distinction.

[solar]

Cool!China solar cell silicone

[galit shafir]

Dear sr.

I'm a reporter at the "Calcalist" newspaper in Israel, the new economic section of "Yedioth Acharonot", which us the largest newspaper in Israel.

Lately I've started to work on an item about the issue of ecologic construction, or in another words – who to build a "green house". For this item I would like to use photos from your's lovely site – if you'll give your permeation.

galith-s@yedioth.co.ilyou can reach me in the e-mail address

Or in my cellular phone: 972-52-4004029

Thank you very much

Galit Shafir

[Robert D Crago]

DOES SUNPOWER PROVIDE A MORE PORTABLE PANEL OR SOLAR SYSTEM THAT WOULD FIT THE RV MOTORHOME MARKET? CAN A PERSON BUY PANELS ALONE FROM THEM WITH AN EFF. RATING OF 40%? DOES SUNPOWER HAVE A SPECIALIZED CONTROLLER AND INVERTER THAT MATCHES THE PANEL SPECIFICATIONS? IF SO, THEN CAN ONE BUY A SOLAR SYSTEM FOR AN RV AT 150 TO 250 WATTS POWERING A 3000+W INVERTER?

BOB