Two US startups break solar efficiency records, aim to light up your life

Two US startups are breaking solar efficiency records in their quest to bring clean, cost-effective, eco-friendly energy to a power grid near you. Alta Devices, based in Santa Clara, CA, has achieved a 23.5 percent efficiency rating with its standard solar panel, while Semprius, a Durham, NC company, has achieved a rating of 33.9 percent with its concentrated photovoltaic offering -- besting the previous records of 22.9 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Interestingly enough, both outfits chose to utilize a new material to construct their sun-sopping cells: gallium arsenide. The material, while more expensive, is better suited for absorbing ...

Read the full story at Engadget

You might also like

Scientists create first solar cell with over 100 percent quantum efficiency Researchers over at the National Renewable Energy Lab have reportedly made the first solar cell with...

Solar cells must emit light to attain perfection, research suggests Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley claim to have hit...

Arman Ahnood teases OLED display with solar cells, idealizes the self-sustaining smartphone Plenty of effort is going into improving smartphone battery life, but only a few individuals are delving...

Notre Dame heralds paint-on solar cells, wants to smear your home with its goop (video) Leave it to the Fighting Irish to take a stab at solving the world's energy woes. Notre Dame researchers...