Modern solar energy systems – or photovoltaics - rely on the concentration of the sun's rays, a concept similar to youngsters using magnifying glasses to set scraps of paper on fire.  Creating efficient, compact, cost-effective means to harness this power had eluded scientists for years; then Open Science brought the brightest minds in photovoltaics together, with record-breaking results.

The University of Delaware offers one of the nation's broadest research programs in photovoltaics. It is home to the High Performance Solar Power Program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and to the Institute of Energy Conversion, a multidisciplinary laboratory devoted to the research and development of thin film photovoltaic solar cells.

In November 2005, a University of Delaware-led consortium received approximately US$13 million in funding from DuPont for the initial phases of the DARPA Very High Efficiency Solar Cell (VHESC) program to develop affordable portable solar cell battery chargers.

Until recently, the previous best of 40.7% efficiency was achieved with a high-concentration device that required sophisticated tracking optics and featured a concentrating lens the size of a table and more than 30 centimeters, or about 1 foot, thick. Using a novel technology that adds multiple innovations to a very high-performance crystalline silicon solar cell platform, the consortium has achieved a record-breaking combined solar cell efficiency of 42.8% from sunlight at standard terrestrial conditions.

The consortium's devices are potentially far thinner, at less than 1 centimeter, a major step toward the consortium’s goal of 50% efficiency. The percentage is a record under any circumstance, but it's particularly noteworthy because it's at low concentration, approximately 20 times magnification. This low profile and lack of moving parts implies great portability, which means these devices easily could go on a laptop computer or a rooftop.

The devices could also have immediate application in the high-technology military, which increasingly relies upon a variety of electronics for the equipment that supports individual soldiers. It is also anticipated that the solar cells will have a large number of commercial applications.

In commending the results of this inspiring collaboration, Lawrence L. Kazmerski, director of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., said, "This is a first step - but a significant one in making sure our energy future is what we know it should look like."

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