E-ton partnership with Australian university hopes to boost solar cell efficiency
Nuying Huang, Taipei; Esther Lam, DigiTimes.com, 27 February 2007
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20070227PD206.html
E-ton Solar Tech anticipates improving power conversion efficiency to over 17% for both mono- and multi-crystalline solar cells amid the latest collaboration with the University of New South Wales (NUSW) in Australia. The solar cell maker expects to see a meaningful improvement in power conversion efficiency ratios in the second half of 2007.
E-ton and NUSW inked a technology development partnership contract in an attempt to develop solar cells that have higher power conversion rates. E-ton anticipates to boost the power conversion rates of mono-crystalline solar cells from the present 17% to 18-19% in 2007 and those of multi-crystalline are expected to improve from 16% to exceed 17%.
Under this partnership, E-ton said it will also incorporate some of NUSW’s patents into its own products and both parties will jointly develop solar-related patents in the future. This partnership will start from April 2007 and will last for three years, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report.
NUSW is well-known for its expertise in solar applications development, the university achieved a power conversion rate of 24.7% for mono-crystalline solar cells and 19% for multi-crystalline solar cells as early as 2000.
Martin A. Green, professor at NUSW and director of the university’s special research center for third generation photovoltaics, will lead the development with E-ton. This center is bringing together novel methods for raising the efficiency of solar cells toward their theoretical maximum efficiency of 87%. Green is also the instructor for E-ton’s China rival, Suntech Power, chief executive officer (CEO) Zhengrong Shi.