Researchers develop residential solar panels that are almost as efficient as existing solar panels

The challenge facing solar panels currently used in residential and industrial applications is inefficiency in converting sunlight into electrical energy. The average conversion efficiency is between 17-19%. Researchers at a company called Insolight, a spin-off from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), have created new residential solar panels that are almost twice as efficient as ordinary solar panels. According to independent laboratory tests, the conversion efficiency of these new solar panels can reach 29%.

This solar panel uses a patented optical system to concentrate sunlight on a tiny photovoltaic cell commonly used in satellites. Solar panels used on satellites are usually very expensive. In order to reduce costs, the research team has developed a protective glass that can be placed with optical lenses to increase the sunlight concentration rate by more than 100 times and guide sunlight to high performance The battery has a very small surface.

The design means that this new solar cell takes up less than 0.5% of the total surface area of the solar panel. The mechanism of moving the solar cell horizontally by a few millimeters allows the panel to follow the sun throughout the day. Since the efficient panels designed by Insolight are very small, they can be laid on top of traditional solar panels to increase solar output. This hybrid method is particularly effective in cloudy weather, because it can generate electricity even in diffuse light. The size and shape of the new solar panel are the same as the existing solar panels, and the installation method is also the same. Designers say that in sunny areas, this technology can reduce household energy bills by 30%, and the first commercial product using this technology is expected to be launched in 2022.

The research team says their panels have been tested under various weather conditions. The test found that during heat waves, storms and winter weather, the panel has been working without any problems. The Solar Energy Research Institute of the Technical University of Madrid (IES-UPM) verified the conversion efficiency of this solar panel to 29% in tests.