Thanks so Barbara Seely, supporter and ardent environmentalist and teacher

For sending us a great update on solar. This is great news and bodes well for continued development of clean energy:

Solar Discovery Sets New Record

By Good News Network Thursday, June 06, 2013

Solar engineers have developed an innovative method to dramatically improve the electrical efficiency of solar panels while also reducing the cost.

The team at University of New South Wales has discovered a mechanism to control the deficiencies in any lower grade silicon, which is by far the most expensive component in solar cells.

"The process makes lower-quality silicon outperform solar cells made from better-quality materials,” says Professor Stuart Wenham from the School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW, the school which still holds the world-record for silicon cell efficiency at 25%.

Standard commercial silicon cells currently have a maximum efficiency of around 19%. The new technique, patented by UNSW researchers earlier this year, is expected to produce efficiencies between 21% and 23%, says Wenham.

“By using lower-quality silicon to achieve higher efficiencies, we can enable significant cost reductions,” he says.

The solar industry has long been focused on bringing down the cost of silicon. However, cheaper silicon also means lower-quality material, with more defects and contaminants that reduce efficiency.

It’s been known for several decades that hydrogen atoms can be introduced into the atomic structure of silicon to help correct these defects, but until now, researchers have had limited success in controlling the hydrogen to maximize its benefits or even understanding why this happens..."