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Scientists have broken the world record for solar panel efficiency, less than six months after setting the previous record.
A research team at Chinese company LONGi Green Energy Technology, the world’s largest solar panel supplier, achieved an efficiency level of 27.3%, breaking the previous record of 27.1% set in November.
While the latest record was achieved under laboratory conditions using crystalline silicon solar cells, the company also announced a new commercially available cell with a conversion efficiency of 24.43 percent. LONGi said this new technology will significantly support the global transition to clean energy sources.
“Furthermore, the module is designed to the highest reliability standards, so its performance is maintained throughout its lifetime,” said Dennis She, Vice President of LONGi Green Energy Technology.
“Power plant owners can be confident that power plants built with HiMO 9 modules will help them make the most efficient use of their land and get the most value from their solar power.”
The latest record is still a long way from that set by next-generation solar cells using perovskites, which achieved efficiencies of more than 33 percent in the lab. However, this bodes well for increasing solar power generation capacity globally.
The new record coincides with a report released Wednesday that revealed renewable energy will account for more than 30 percent of the world’s electricity for the first time in 2023.
According to the Global Electrical Review, published by climate think tank Ember, the surge in clean energy use is being driven primarily by the introduction of solar power technology.
“The future of renewable energy has arrived,” said Dave Jones, Director of Global Insights at Ember. “Solar power in particular is accelerating faster than anyone thought.”
Solar power accounts for more than 10% of annual electricity generation in more than 30 countries and will account for 5.5% of global electricity generation in 2023, up from 4.6% in 2022.
“Solar power, along with wind, will form the backbone of future power systems, providing nearly 70 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050,” Ember’s report states.
“Continued cost reductions in solar power, wind power, battery storage, EVs and other key technologies show that a clean energy future is also a cheaper energy future.”