Honda Soltec Introduces New Thin-Film Solar Cell

Honda Soltec, an auxiliary company of Honda and committed to the formulation of thin-film solar technology, has declared that it will be introducing a new type of thin-film solar cell offering a power conversion efficiency of over 13%.

The company has achieved the increased efficiency over its CIGS-based (Copper indium gallium [di]selenide) solar cells by introducing a compact design with a reduction in the non-photosensitive parts of the cell. This resulted in a reduced level of surface area and 10% increase in its conversion efficiency. Also the smaller sized design allows the installation of solar modules in various shapes of roofing and locations. The company is planning to achieve further improvements in the prototype product before bringing the actual product to market.

The new model is expected to have 89 W as the nominal maximum output per module with external dimension of 926 × 738 × 37 mm. The module, which has a weight of around 8.7 kg, will achieve a conversion efficiency of 13% with a nominal open circuit voltage of 190 V.