United States research and development of LED 28% efficiency solar cells

Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley have found that the design of a solar cell can produce the most amount of energy if a light emitting device (such as LED) is added.

"We have shown that the better the luminescence of the solar cell, the higher the voltage and efficiency of the energy," said ELi, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, Yablonovitch.

Avoid "lost" photons in the battery pack

More recently, Yablonovitch and his colleagues have tried to understand why there is such a big gap between the theoretical limits and the limits they have developed. They have come up with a relatively simple, perhaps counterintuitive solution based on the mathematical link between light absorption and emission.

According to the research team, the design allows the solar cells to emit light - so that the photons will not be lost in the battery - to improve the voltage generated by solar cells have a natural effect.

Prototype efficiency increased from 26% to 28.3%

Yablonovitch co-founder of Alta equipment, the use of a new concept, to create a gallium arsenide (GaAs) - a frequently used in satellite cell materials, solar cell prototype. Prototype broke the world record, efficiency increased from 26% to 28.3%.

Yablonovitch expects that researchers will be able to achieve efficiencies close to 30% over the next few years. Berkeley, the team will be held in San Jose California, from May 6, 2012 to May 11th of the laser and Electro Optics conference presented the findings.