A major issue with solar cells is the cost of each panel. In some cases it takes many years to recover the cost of a single panel, and even longer to have it produce more energy than it took to manufacture. Stion is attempting to reduce the cost of a cell by producing thin, stackable, and higher efficient solar film. The device is constructed in a way that significantly reduces cost, simplifies manufacturing and reduces materials utilization over traditional designs. The new panels are meant to be just as efficient as conventional silicon ones, but still significantly cheaper to manufacture. The funding is part of the Obama administration's recently announced Sun Shot initiative, which has the goal of reducing the cost of installed solar panels by 75 percent, to make solar power competitive with fossil fuels. Stion's existing panels convert 12 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. This is a high figure for thin-film solar panels, which typically have efficiencies that range from 6 to 11 percent. “The new panels use a tandem-solar-cell design to increase efficiencies to 15 to 18 percent,” says founder and chief technology officer Howard Lee. Pairing the cells increases the overall solar-panel efficiency and can drive down costs by reducing the number of panels that need to be installed. Tandem thin-film solar cells made of amorphous silicon have been made by other manufacturers, but they are far less efficient than the ones Stion is developing. When the sweet spot of price and efficiency is hit, the world will be a better place. Free Energy anywhere it's sunny.
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