Suntech Power Holdings, the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels, has announced further details of its Pluto technology that has seen substantial improvements in solar cell conversion efficiencies.
While many breakthroughs in efficiencies have been achieved in recent months by other research organizations, such as researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute attaining a very impressive solar cell efficiency of 41.1%, none of these are anywhere near ready for prime time – the commercial solar panel market.
Suntech‘s Pluto technology has seen conversion efficiencies of approximately 19% on monocrystalline solar panels and 17% on polycrystalline solar panels outside of the lab and in large scale production. The performance has been verified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Germany. Currently, high performing monocrystalline solar panels achieve around 18% and polycrystalline solar panels, 14%.
The patent-pending Suntech Pluto technology is based on PERL technology, developed locally at the University of NSW in Australia. Lower reflectivity has been achieved through unique texturing technology that allows increased sunlight to be absorbed even without direct solar radiation. Thinner metal lines on the top surface reduces shading loss. Suntech’s Pluto technology can be applied to a variety of grades of silicon to suit differing applications and product types.
With continuing research and development, Suntech anticipates the Pluto technology will achieve up to 20% conversion efficiency on monocrystalline solar cells and 18% on polycrystalline solar cells within the next two years. Suntech currently has a 34MW Pluto solar cell production line fully operational and expects a total of 100MW installed Pluto capacity within the next two months.
