Innovalight silicon ink solar cell reaches 18% conversion

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Innovalight said today it has demonstrated a record 18 percent conversion efficiency of sunlight with its silicon ink processed solar cells. But the company has higher ambitions of bringing crystalline silicon solar cells to more than 20 percent conversion efficiency.

The private company said the results, using industry standard size solar cells, were independently certified by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

Innovalight was also recently awarded a $3 million technology incubator subcontract through NREL, under the DOE.

Innovalight says its silicon ink technology improves the economics of solar cell manufacturing, allowing crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers to increase output capacity and solar cell performance, while reducing costs. The company was co-founded by University of Texas at Austin chemical engineer Brian Korgel (see Texas researchers look to unleash spray-on solar cell potential).

Innovalight says it is currently working with various solar cell manufacturers, while ramping production of silicon ink at its Sunnyvale site.

The venture-backed Innovalight has received previous development funds from the DOE (see U.S. DOE puts up $17.6M for solar PV). And in 2007, Innovalight raised $28 million to relocate to its 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale (see Southern Water leads dealmaking). In 2008, Innovalight also raised $5 million from Leader Ventures (see Cleantech deals in garbage, lighting and batteries).

Innovalight isn’t the only company claiming record efficiencies with ISE verification. Last month, Suntech Power Holdings said its multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic module achieved a world record in conversion efficiency, reaching 15.6 percent (see Suntech claims new multi-crystalline PV efficiency record).

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