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Panasonic has unveiled a high-performance crystalline silicon solar cell with an area exceeding 100 cm², achieving a world-leading conversion efficiency of 24.7%. This marks a significant improvement over SunPower's previous record of 24.2% set in 2010. While the theoretical maximum efficiency for crystalline silicon cells is around 29%, practical performance typically peaks between 25% and 26%. Panasonic highlighted that this achievement has addressed more than 25% of the challenges in reaching higher efficiencies, signaling their intent to push the boundaries further.
The breakthrough was achieved using Panasonic's "HIT" (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) solar cell technology. This design features amorphous silicon layers on both sides of a single-crystal silicon wafer. These layers help reduce crystal defects and minimize recombination losses, which allows for a higher voltage output. However, the inclusion of amorphous silicon, transparent conductive films, and surface electrodes can block some sunlight, making it challenging to increase current levels.
In recent years, Panasonic has been actively working to enhance the efficiency of its HIT cells. In 2011, a 98 μm thick HIT cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 23.7%, which improved to 23.9% in 2012. By optimizing the electrode aspect ratio and reducing light absorption in the transparent conductive film, they managed to boost the short-circuit current density from 38.9 mA/cm² to 39.5 mA/cm², contributing significantly to a 0.8 percentage point increase in efficiency.
SunPower, on the other hand, uses a back-contact structure that allows for higher current values due to the absence of surface electrodes. Their 2010 cell had a short-circuit current density of 40.46 mA/cm². Panasonic’s latest results are now approaching this level, demonstrating that there is still room for improvement in current density.
Despite surpassing SunPower in R&D efficiency, Panasonic lags behind in mass production. Currently, the company's mass-produced units have an efficiency of 21.6%, while SunPower has already reached 24.2% in production. As the solar industry continues to evolve, both companies are pushing forward, striving to unlock the full potential of photovoltaic technology.