Konarka Technologies Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Konarka Power Plastic, a material that converts light to energy, announced that the National Energy Renewable Laboratory (NREL) has certified that Konarka’s organic-based photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells have demonstrated a record-breaking 8.3 percent efficiency. This is the highest performance recorded by NREL for an organic photovoltaic solar cell.
“The progress Konarka has achieved this year with regard to solar cell efficiency is unprecedented, representing a significant milestone for the industry,” said Howard Berke, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Konarka. “This unsurpassed NREL certification opens new doors for the commercial production of cost-effective, efficient electricity for numerous large-scale applications.”
Konarka Power Plastic is a patent-protected thin film solar material that converts light to energy. The unique material is lightweight and flexible, lending itself to a wide range of applications where traditional photovoltaics are not effective.
The latest certification results are for Konarka’s large area single-junction solar cell with a surface area of 1 square centimeter. This efficiency rating far exceeds previous single-junction organic photovoltaic cell measurement on that surface area and represents the world record for OPV efficiency.
About NREL
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC. More about NREL’s photovoltaic research can be found at http://www.nrel.gov/.
About Konarka Technologies Inc.
Konarka Technologies develops and manufactures solar plastic films that convert light to energy. As the leading developer of polymer-based, organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology that provides a source of renewable power in a variety of form factors, Konarka has a broad portfolio of patents, technology licenses and an accomplished technical, scientific and manufacturing team. Manufactured at low cost and low energy consumption, the company's Konarka Power Plastic technology is lightweight, flexible, scalable and adaptable for use in a variety of commercial, industrial, government and consumer applications. Konarka Technologies is headquartered in Lowell, Mass., and has a full scale production manufacturing facility in New Bedford, Mass., with European headquarters in Nurnberg, Germany, business development offices in Asia and a research and development facility in Austria.