News Article
Amonix III-V cell achieves record PV module efficiency at 36 percent
The firm's multi-junction solar cell's result was verified by NREL and beats the firm's previous record of 34.2 percent
Amonix, a designer and manufacturer of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar power systems, has successfully converted more than 36 percent of direct sunlight into electricity.
A module showcasing Amonix’s latest-generation CPV technology has been in outdoor testing from late February to April of this year.
During this period, the Amonix module demonstrated a peak operating efficiency of 36.2 percent measured on March 14th, 2013 with a DNI of 876 W/m2, an ambient temperature of 16°C and instantaneous wind speed of 1 m/s. This breaks the previous 34.2 percent peak efficiency set by Amonix in May 2012.
Over the entire testing period, the Amonix module earned a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This result continues Amonix’s history of leading solar module efficiency, having been the first to convert over 1/3rd of the sun’s energy in May 2012, and the first to break 30 percent module efficiency in 2011.
“Amonix’s proprietary technology platform allows us to continue driving rapid performance improvements in our CPV system,” says Vahan Garboushian, Amonix Founder and CTO.
“The advances we have demonstrated over the last 2 years have all been with the same generation 40 percent cells, demonstrating an unprecedented cell to module conversion efficiency of greater than 90 percent."
"With improvements that are underway in cell efficiency and additional advances in our module technology, we will continue to drive efficiency higher over the coming years,” he continues.
A module showcasing Amonix’s latest-generation CPV technology has been in outdoor testing from late February to April of this year.
During this period, the Amonix module demonstrated a peak operating efficiency of 36.2 percent measured on March 14th, 2013 with a DNI of 876 W/m2, an ambient temperature of 16°C and instantaneous wind speed of 1 m/s. This breaks the previous 34.2 percent peak efficiency set by Amonix in May 2012.
Over the entire testing period, the Amonix module earned a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This result continues Amonix’s history of leading solar module efficiency, having been the first to convert over 1/3rd of the sun’s energy in May 2012, and the first to break 30 percent module efficiency in 2011.
“Amonix’s proprietary technology platform allows us to continue driving rapid performance improvements in our CPV system,” says Vahan Garboushian, Amonix Founder and CTO.
“The advances we have demonstrated over the last 2 years have all been with the same generation 40 percent cells, demonstrating an unprecedented cell to module conversion efficiency of greater than 90 percent."
"With improvements that are underway in cell efficiency and additional advances in our module technology, we will continue to drive efficiency higher over the coming years,” he continues.
