New solar cell coating ups efficiency by 43 percent

DailyTech reports researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new solar cell covered in a special anti-reflective coating which traps sunlight from nearly every angle and part of the spectrum. The researchers claim the new cell absorbs 96.21 percent of the sunlight shined on it, while a normal cell can capture only 67.4 percent.

The new RPI solar cell is a normal cell covered in a special anti-reflective coating which traps sunlight from nearly every angle and part of the spectrum. The new cell is near perfect; it absorbs 96.21 percent of the sunlight shined on it, while a normal cell could only absorb 67.4 percent. That 43 percent efficiency boost, coupled with mass production, if properly implemented could place solar on the verge of competing unsubsidized with coal power, at last.

Shawn-Yu Lin, professor of physics at Rensselaer and a member of the university’s Future Chips Constellation describes the breakthrough, stating, "To get maximum efficiency when converting solar power into electricity, you want a solar panel that can absorb nearly every single photon of light, regardless of the sun’s position in the sky. Our new antireflective coating makes this possible."

More details over here.