German Centrotherm achieves 20% laboratory cell efficiency

Aug 30, 2011 - German solar power technology maker Centrotherm Photovoltaics (ETR:CTN) said today it achieved a 20% cell efficiency in its laboratories, which was certified by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

Peter Fath, the firm’s chief technology officer (CTO), added that this peak value was achieved based on the group’s Centaurus rear side technology with the industry standard wafer size of 156 mm x 156 mm on mono-crystalline silicon as a reference surface area. Fath went on to say that Centrotherm will be working at full strength in order to introduce the achieved 20% level into industrial production.

Centrotherm said further it will present technology and systems boosting the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) value chain at this year's 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (PVSEC), which will take place from September 5 to September 8, 2011 in Hamburg.

The company also sees great potential in the Solar Cell & Module area for its selective emitter and for the Centaurus rear side upgrade technologies. It added that it can retrofit up to 800 of its 1,000 solar cell production lines to improve their costs and boost their efficiency and that Centaurus is currently being installed at a major Chinese state company in order to achieve cell efficiency of over 19% in mass production.

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