19.9%: New Thin Film Solar Efficiency Record
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 03.26.08
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created thin film solar panels that are very close to competing with their more traditional silicon-based cousins. "The copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell recently reached 19.9 percent efficiency in testing at the lab, setting a new world record."
19.9% refers to how much of the sun's light is converted to electricity by the panel. Multicrystalline silicon-based solar cells have shown efficiencies as high as 20.3 percent (without concentrators...), so thin film is very close. Any fraction of a percent makes a big difference over the decades of useful life of a panel. :: NREL Sets Thin Film Record See also: ::Solaria: Finding Clever Ways to Make Cheaper Solar Panels, ::Hairy Solar Panels Could Result From Nanowire Breakthrough, ::Moth Eyes May Hold Secret to Better Solar Panels
Update: If you are interested in solar power, also check out 15 Photovoltaics Solar Power Innovations You Must See.
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