A company called Spectrolab has achieved a new world record in solar cell efficiency. Multijunction cells perform at higher efficiencies than conventional single-junction silicon solar cells, because they convert more of the solar spectrum into energy by breaking it up into chunks. For example, the first layer of Spectrolab’s record-breaking triple-junction cell is composed of gallium indium phosphide, which converts short-wavelength portions of the spectrum, such as blue and UV. The second layer, made of gallium arsenide, captures the middle part of the spectrum. The third germanium layer does a good job with IR light.
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