With 22 years in business and 17 years of field operations under demanding, real-world conditions, Amonix has a significant track record in the research, development and manufacturing of solar cell technology for utility-scale applications.
Over the past two decades, Amonix has developed eight generations of systems, increasing efficiencies at every stage. The end result is the most efficient and advanced concentrated photovoltaic solar power technology on the market.
Solar Cell Efficiency Records
In the early 1990s, the company developed a stable, back-junction, point-contact solar cell with 25.5% average efficiency, a world record at the time for sunlight-to-electricity conversion. The company still holds the world record for efficiency of a silicon cell: 27.6% at 92x concentration. Building on this early success enabled Amonix to incorporate III-V multijunction solar cell technology.
MegaModules®
Over time, Amonix eliminated the older silicon-based modules and began employing lower-cost Fresnel lenses to concentrate the sunlight onto solar cell receiver plates, integrating these components into one large MegaModule® assembly. This advancement achieved much greater cost efficiency by reducing manufacturing and installation outlay, while increasing the amount of energy produced per cell.
The Eighth Generation of Solar Technology
The eighth generation marks the transition from silicon-based solar cells to CPV solar cells, using high-efficiency III-V multijunction solar cells. Originally developed for space-based applications, these cells represent a significant improvement in performance and reliability over previous technology that used silicon ultimately resulting in the most efficient CPV technology available. Under concentration, CPV solar cell efficiency can exceed 39% in volume production (over 41% in world-record demonstrations).
The continuing evolution to greater system capacity optimizes the tracking system cost, provides for higher density and energy generation, and lowers the installation cost per unit of rated capacity.
