First Solar hits new PV cell efficiency record

Arizona-based photovoltaics (PV) firm First Solar says it’s achieved a new world record in efficiency for a cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cell.

The test cell made using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials reached an efficiency of 17.3 percent, according to the company. The test cell’s performance, confirmed by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), surpassed the previous record of 16.7, percent set in 2001.

“This is a significant milestone that demonstrates the ongoing potential of our advanced thin-film technology,” said Dave Eaglesham, chief technology officer at First Solar. “This leap forward in R&D supports our efficiency roadmap for our production modules and will recalibrate industry expectations for the long-term efficiency potential of CdTe technology.”

The innovation “continues to drive us closer to grid parity,” added Rob Gillette, the company’s CEO.

According to First Solar, the average efficiency of the modules it produced in the first quarter of 2011 was 11.7 percent, up from 11.1 percent a year earlier. The company has recorded full-module efficiencies over 13.5 percent, with a 13.4-percent module confirmed by NREL. First Solar’s module efficiency roadmap sets a goal for production-module efficiencies of 13.5 to 14.5 percent by the end of 2014.

First Solar uses a manufacturing process that transforms a sheet of glass into a complete solar module in less than two-and-a-half hours.