RayGen, University of New South Wales report record solar cell efficiency
RayGen Resources and the University of New South Wales in Australia have reported that their collaboration has paid off. The duo produced their highest ever efficiency rate of 40.4% into electricity.
The testing took place in Sydney by UNSW researchers. Coal fire powered stations in Australia run at a 40% system efficiency, according to the researchers news report, putting solar power ahead of fossil fuels for energy conversion in the country.
The result was independently verified by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) outdoor testing facility in the USA.
RayGen provided design and technical support for the prototype , drawing on the same technology that sits at the heart of the company’s Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic (CSPV) solution.
RayGen CEO, Bob Cart, said the results marked a milestone in enabling utility-scale solar power to become a more viable alternative to fossil fuels.
"In practical terms, we’ll be looking to apply the outcome of the testing the work we’re doing with companies, such as China Intense Solar," said Cart.
Ray Gen will commission by March 2015 the first site deployment of CSPV tower power in regional Victoria, Australia and has fasttracked the project timeline with China Intense Solar to deliver a 10MW commercial scale operation in Qinghai province by August 2016.