Photovoltaic facts

The efficiency of converting sunlight to electricity in pv cells

The company SunPower in 2008 announced 22% efficiency converting light to electricity. Current high-performance panels, on average, convert about 20 percent of the light that strikes it into electricity. Conventional silicon solar panels convert about 14 to 17 percent of light.

The theoretical maximum is around 26 to 27 percent, although some have said it could go slightly higher.

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