UNSW sets world record for solar efficiency

Researchers at UNSW Australia have converted over 40% of the sunlight hitting a solar system into electricity, setting a new world record for the highest efficiency ever recorded. Dr Mark Keevers, the solar scientist who managed the project, said that the team "used commercial solar cells, but in a new way, so these efficiency improvements are readily accessible to the solar industry."
 
A key part of the design of the prototype cells used in the project is the use of a custom optical bandpass filter that captures sunlight that is normally wasted by commercial solar cells on towers and convert it to electricity at a higher efficiency than the solar cells themselves ever could. The university is well known for its expertise in the field of solar research and this world record is the culmination of over 40 years of achievements in this field, including the development of the first solar cell in 1975.
 
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