North Carolina State University researchers have come up
with a new technique for improving the connections between stacked solar cells,
which should improve the overall efficiency of solar energy devices and reduce
the cost of solar energy production. The new connections can allow these cells
to operate at solar concentrations of 70,000 suns worth of energy without
losing much voltage as “wasted energy” or heat.
Stacked solar cells consist of several solar cells that are stacked on top
of one another. Stacked cells are currently the most efficient cells on the
market, converting up to 45 percent of the solar energy they absorb into
electricity.