Peaks and troughs boost solar efficiency

Company claims putting small grooves into the surface of photovoltaic solar cells will enhance efficiency and cut costs

Germany-based photovoltaic (PV) solar cell manufacturer Schott has announced a major technical breakthrough that it claims will deliver a " significant" improvement in its cells' conversion efficiency.

The company last week unveiled a solar cell, called ISO Texture, that boasts a new surface structure designed to deliver greater power density and convert more of the sunlight falling on the cell into energy.

A spokesman for the company said that the new cell used a chemical process to create small peaks and troughs in the surface of the cell that increased the surface area that the sun's photons could fall on. He added that the resulting improvement in conversion efficiency had not yet been independently tested, but that the company expected a "significant" improvement over similar sized conventional PV modules.

"The new cells also require around five per cent less silicon per module than conventional solar cells," he explained. "So there is also increased efficiency from a production stand point."

The company claimed that the new surface structure improved the aesthetics of the cells, giving them a uniform dark blue colour that could make them more suitable for office and domestic locations.

Schott said that the new modules were now available in Germany, having been fully integrated into its production process. It added that it would now begin work on extending the ISO Texture cells to all its products and production facilities. The company spokesman said it had begun work on a new production site in the US and expected ISO Texture cells to be available from 2009.