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Yep, the very high efficiency cells are typically reserved for highly specialized areas where cost doesn’t matter.. You’ll see Boeing’s name a lot near the top
by mikeyouse 8y ago
Yep, the very high efficiency cells are typically reserved for highly specialized areas where cost doesn’t matter.. You’ll see Boeing’s name a lot near the top of the efficiency list for the exotic cell types, their lab’s website should clue everyone in to what their main purpose is: https://www.spectrolab.com https://www.spectrolab.com
They list 31% efficiencies for their cells that can fly today which must be near the limit of commercialization / certification. Still pretty good though, that’s 50% more efficient than a standard panel, and at several $10s of thousands per kg into space, clearly worth it!
- pvarangot 8y ago28/30% cells are common in spacecraft and have been for more than five years, but they are expensive. A little less than 10k for something like 1 square meter only for the cells wouldn't be crazy.
- mikeyouse 8y agoIt looks like Boeing's latest multijunction line ships at 30.7% efficient: https://www.spectrolab.com/photovoltaics.html#cells_cics https://www.spectrolab.com/photovoltaics.html#cells_cics Which seems about right, but what I didn't realize is that they're shipping >40% concentrators too. That's pretty great! https://www.spectrolab.com/photovoltaics.html#cells_cics https://www.spectrolab.com/photovoltaics.html#cells_cics (That last link was supposed to be for the concentrator section at the bottom of that page, but I don't think it's a normal # bookmark)