REC Corp., a global supplier of solar energy solutions, is joining forces with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in the development of an improved hydrogen passivation process that was first discovered at UNSW.
Standard multicrystalline silicon cells currently have a maximum efficiency of around 17.5% – 18%. According to Professor Stuart Wenham, the new technique, patented by his UNSW team, is expected to produce efficiencies of between 19% and 20% once fully developed.
As a world record holder in silicon solar cell efficiency, UNSW is a strong partner for REC. Professor Wenham says his team has worked out how to control the charge state of hydrogen atoms in silicon, thereby increasing the ability to generate electricity, something other research teams have previously not been able to do.
This breakthrough technology has been internationally recognized when Professor Wenham was recently awarded the prestigious $502,440 A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize from the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) in London.
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