August 24, 2007—A solar cell produced by Boeing Spectrolab under a subcontract with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory is among this year’s most significant innovations, as judged by Research & Development (R&D) magazine.
The NREL/Boeing Spectrolab R&D 100 Award for 2007 recognizes the High-Efficiency Metamorphic Multi- junction (HEMM) Concentrator Solar Cell, the first solar cell to break the 40 percent conversion efficiency barrier–reportedly the solar equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile.
The HEMM solar cell has a conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent at 240 suns. This means that when sunlight concentrated up to 240 times the normal intensity of the sun is focused onto the cell, 40.7 percent of that solar energy is converted into electrical energy. NREL is hopeful that the unique design will lead to cells that can convert more than 50 percent of the solar spectrum to electricity.
For more information visit the NREL Web site.
