Solar
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Multijunction photovoltaic cell
Multi-junction solar cells or tandem cells are solar cells containing several p-n junctions . Each junction is tuned to a different wavelength of light , reducing one of the largest inherent sources of losses, and thereby increasing efficiency. Traditional single-junction cells have a maximum theoretical efficiency of 34%, a theoretical "infinite-junction" cell would improve this to 87% under highly concentrated sunlight. Currently, the best lab examples of traditional silicon solar cells have efficiencies around 25%, [ 1 ] while lab examples of multi-junction cells have demonstrated performance over 43%. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Commercial examples of tandem cells are widely available at 30% under one-sun illumination, [ 4 ] and improve to around 40% under concentrated sunlight. However, this efficiency is gained at the cost of increased complexity and manufacturing price.