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Article: More bang for the solar cell buck.(new, efficient amorphous silicon solar cells)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- April 12, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A solar cell made of amorphous silicon has set a new record for efficiency, converting 13 percent of the light energy it absorbs into electricity. Higher efficiency means that fewer cells are needed to power a given device (SN: 4/16/94, p. 255).
The cell, made by United Solar Systems Corp. in Troy, Mich., consists of three component cells stacked on top of one another. Each component is designed to absorb a different color of light, with the top, middle, and bottom segments capturing blue, green, and red light, respectively. Improvements on the bottom ...