News Article
Honda to Release 13% Efficient CIGS Solar Cell
The company says its CIGS solar cells require little energy in the manufacturing process, making them more eco-friendly than other competitive products.
Honda Soltec, will this year, release a thin-film solar cell with an even more compact design than the current model to allow efficient installation on a wide range of roof shapes.
The module conversion efficiency of the copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) solar cells is expected to exceed 13.0%. The efficiency is a measure of how well the cell can convert solar energy into electricity. This, says Honda, ranks it among the world’s most efficient CIGS-based thin-film solar cells.
The performance of the photosensitive CIGS layer has been improved and the surface area of the surrounding frame and other non-photosensitive portions, reduced. This has increased the module conversion efficiency by approximately 10% compared to the current model, resulting in more power being generated from the same installed surface area.
The new cell has only about two-thirds the module surface area of the current model, allowing it to be installed in limited space on a wide range of roof shapes. This will make efficient installation of more thin-film solar cells in a variety of locations easier.
Honda is working to further improve module conversion efficiency as it brings the product to market.
The company also says its independently developed CIGS thin-film solar cells require little energy in the manufacturing process, making them more eco-friendly than competitive products.
