Comment box Scope: summary, information Tone: neutral Opinion: yes, at the end Sarcasm/humor: none The theoretical solar efficiency limit for single-junction cells, known as the Shockley–Queisser...
Comment box
Scope: summary, information
Tone: neutral
Opinion: yes, at the end
Sarcasm/humor: none
China’s Longi Green Energy has set a new world record for crystalline silicon solar module efficiency, according to a certification report from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE.
The new efficiency of 25.4% surpasses the previous record of 24.9%, set by Maxeon in January with its interdigitated back contact (IBC) module. This half-percentage point increase represents a significant leap in a field where efficiency gains have typically been incremental. This breakthrough also pushes crystalline silicon module efficiency past the 25% threshold.
The theoretical solar efficiency limit for single-junction cells, known as the Shockley–Queisser limit, is about 33.7%. That means about 33.7% of the energy from the sun that hits the solar cell can theoretically be converted to electricity. In practice, it is very difficult to even get that efficient due to various physical constraints.
Multi-junction solar cells can theoretically reach an efficiency of about 68.7% in general use, and 86.8% with concentrated light. The most efficient solar cells in the world are multi-junction cells at about 47.6%. Such efficient cells are not necessarily the most cost-effective to manufacture, but the costs of solar have consistently fallen faster than expected every year for many consecutive years.
Even small improvements to solar cell efficiency can have enormous impacts on the economic viability of solar energy. The goal has to be to create solar cells that are so absurdly cheap they can be manufactured for use everywhere: on household roofs, in fields and along highways (horizontal or vertical), built into buildings (vertically), covering car roofs, in phones and watches, draped over balconies, and so much more. Widespread solar energy will be one of the best ways for individuals and countries to achieve relative levels of energy independence and end reliance on toxic, harmful, and geopolitically unstable fossil fuels.
Here are some comments by Jenny Chase about how some people are getting a bit ridiculous when anticipating solar's declining costs: And more: If there are limits on costs, that means increased...
Here are some comments by Jenny Chase about how some people are getting a bit ridiculous when anticipating solar's declining costs:
The reason that the cost of solar power doesn't go to zero - or to $10/MWh - is indeed that the cost of solar panels is now a fairly small part of the cost of building a solar plant. In markets that don't have import tariffs on China (ie not the US or India), a solar module currently costs about 10 US cents per Watt. The total capex of even a large solar plant, however, is in the range of 40-60 US cents per Watt - because this has to include mounting systems, racking systems, the inverter, at least some grid connection costs even if you get lucky and get a perfect site right next to existing transmission, and then land and arrangement costs.
Solar's going to be cheap but not that cheap.
And more:
The design lifetime of solar modules is over 25 years, so you do want them to be installed on a structure that will fully resist wind and allow air cooling on the backside, access to the junction boxes and cabling, rain cleaning, and vegetation management. Depending on the specifics of your environment, it's likely that just plunking on the ground will end up with them blown away, buried, or covered in plants within a few years unless you're constantly working to prevent that.
There are some designs of system for flat roofs where the modules basically come on plastic trays you can with rocks to keep them in place - but the roof then needs to support that.
If there are limits on costs, that means increased efficiency might still matter, as long as it doesn't increase costs.
Precisely, you can even see this in government data, which shows the costs for utility-scale solar plateauing. Anybody who expected an exponential drop to 'almost free' was fooling themselves. At...
Precisely, you can even see this in government data, which shows the costs for utility-scale solar plateauing. Anybody who expected an exponential drop to 'almost free' was fooling themselves.
At this point, I'd expect any savings in panels themselves to be offset by install costs rising due to inflation.
Something like Amdahl’s law applies here, but I don’t think we can rule out reductions in the other costs of solar. For example, this roof system where you put solar panels in plastic trays and...
Something like Amdahl’s law applies here, but I don’t think we can rule out reductions in the other costs of solar.
For example, this roof system where you put solar panels in plastic trays and weigh them down with rocks sounds promising, and maybe it could be done on the ground? (Though, how do they drain?)
It’s starting to sound like a bit like planting row crops, and perhaps could be automated in similar ways to agriculture. Maybe it would be easier than automating the work for some kinds of crops?
That’s pretty speculative, though. Jenny Chase is skeptical of the company that wants to put solar panels on the ground.
Comment box
The theoretical solar efficiency limit for single-junction cells, known as the Shockley–Queisser limit, is about 33.7%. That means about 33.7% of the energy from the sun that hits the solar cell can theoretically be converted to electricity. In practice, it is very difficult to even get that efficient due to various physical constraints.
Multi-junction solar cells can theoretically reach an efficiency of about 68.7% in general use, and 86.8% with concentrated light. The most efficient solar cells in the world are multi-junction cells at about 47.6%. Such efficient cells are not necessarily the most cost-effective to manufacture, but the costs of solar have consistently fallen faster than expected every year for many consecutive years.
Even small improvements to solar cell efficiency can have enormous impacts on the economic viability of solar energy. The goal has to be to create solar cells that are so absurdly cheap they can be manufactured for use everywhere: on household roofs, in fields and along highways (horizontal or vertical), built into buildings (vertically), covering car roofs, in phones and watches, draped over balconies, and so much more. Widespread solar energy will be one of the best ways for individuals and countries to achieve relative levels of energy independence and end reliance on toxic, harmful, and geopolitically unstable fossil fuels.
Here are some comments by Jenny Chase about how some people are getting a bit ridiculous when anticipating solar's declining costs:
And more:
If there are limits on costs, that means increased efficiency might still matter, as long as it doesn't increase costs.
Precisely, you can even see this in government data, which shows the costs for utility-scale solar plateauing. Anybody who expected an exponential drop to 'almost free' was fooling themselves.
At this point, I'd expect any savings in panels themselves to be offset by install costs rising due to inflation.
Something like Amdahl’s law applies here, but I don’t think we can rule out reductions in the other costs of solar.
For example, this roof system where you put solar panels in plastic trays and weigh them down with rocks sounds promising, and maybe it could be done on the ground? (Though, how do they drain?)
It’s starting to sound like a bit like planting row crops, and perhaps could be automated in similar ways to agriculture. Maybe it would be easier than automating the work for some kinds of crops?
That’s pretty speculative, though. Jenny Chase is skeptical of the company that wants to put solar panels on the ground.