On June 8th, 2011, SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) launched a new series of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules which it says offer total area conversion efficiencies greater than 20%.

SunPower's new E20 PV modules feature the company's Maxeon cell technology, which SunPower says enables efficiencies of 22.4% at the cell level, a world record for commercially available mass-produced PV cells.

"With the E20 series solar panels, SunPower has once again broken a world record for efficiency," said CEO Tom Werner. "SunPower consistently delivers the most efficient and reliable solar technology on the market, guaranteed to deliver the greatest return on investment to our customers."

All-back contacts enable greater capture of sunlight

The Maxeon PV cells used in the E20 modules feature all-back contacts, and SunPower states that these cells are able to capture more sunlight and conduct more electrical current than standard PV cells.

SunPower notes that its E20 modules feature positive power tolerance rating, meaning that the power generated by each module meets the rating, or is up to 5% higher. The company also notes that E20 cells feature comprehensive inverter compatibility, and can be paired with transformer-less inverters.

The 96-cell E20 modules will be available in 333-watt and 327-watt versions in Europe and Australia in 2011, and in North America and Asia in early 2012.

DOE supports development of E20 modules

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided funds to support the development of the prototype for the E20 module through its Solar America Initiative.

The greater than 20% efficiencies advertised by SunPower were verified by the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, U.S.).

2011-06-09| Courtesy: SunPower Corporation | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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