Developed as part of the “Research and Development of Solar Cells for Use in Vehicles” project, which is administered by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan, he module’s conversion efficiency bests that of a similar Sharp module developed under another NEDO project in 2016, which notched an efficiency of 31.17 per cent, at the time a world record.
The new prototype solar module, which uses a triple-junction compound design, is both lightweight and flexible thanks to its structure, which sandwiches the solar cell between layers of film. As a result, the module is expected to be used in a variety of vehicles, an application that demands high efficiency and lightweight construction.
See also: Fraunhofer ISE shows flexible solar cells without busbars
Sharp will continue to conduct R&D into more efficient, lower-cost solar modules with a view to their use in applications including electric vehicles (EVs) and aerospace. The design, which embodies one path towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. (mfo)
