A US research group has developed a new solar cell based on six photosensitive active layers able to capture sunlight. These new cells could potentially reach a light conversion efficiency of 50%.

The conversion efficiencies of traditional flat-plate and single-junction solar cells max out at about 30%. Experiments have shown that increasing the number of junctions and techniques to concentrate light improve the results. The new six-junction solar cell, developed by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), converts 47.1% of incident light into electricity when combined with optical concentration. Indications thus far suggest solar cells of this type can reach an efficiency rate of 50%.

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