www.chinaphonearena.com

New materials yield record efficiency polymer solar cells

Researchers have found that temperature-controlled aggregation in a family of new semi-conducting polymers is the key to creating highly efficient organic solar cells that can be mass produced more cheaply.


http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/science...110424.htm

Great news, 10.8%. Still a long way to go to reach GaAs and Si cells, but glad to know this technology is improving.

With the continuous expansion of PV systems, these polymer cells will have large room to expand commercially. If Si cells don't improve soon, even 15% efficiency of these polymer cells at their lower cost will make waves with PV systems, especially residential ones.

Solar power continues to expand both in PV and CSP.

CSP has recently gotten an excellent breakthrough with nanomaterials that would replace the usual coat applied. The high efficiency nanomaterial is more resistant to high temperatures and air humidity, that it may allow for CSP plants to continuously operate an entire year without shutting down. Amazing stuff.