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SunPower Announces Discovery

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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 24 -- Silicon solar cell and panel manufacturer SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp., announced the discovery of a new performance effect observed in high-efficiency silicon solar cells. This new effect, called "surface polarization," creates the non-destructive and reversible accumulation of static charge on the surface of high-efficiency solar cells.

Surface polarization occurs when minute amounts of electrical current leak through the face of the solar cell and accumulate on the surface. Current leakage of this sort is present in all solar systems but will accumulate or dissipate on the solar cells' surface depending on system grounding polarity and configuration. The presence or absence of surface charge can decrease or increase solar cell current generation in a fashion analogous to the switching of a programmable memory transistor.

SunPower found that electricity production in systems using high-efficiency solar cells could be significantly decreased or increased by varying the system wiring and grounding configurations, and that these performance changes were relatively rapid and completely reversible. As the result of their discovery, SunPower scientists have developed and applied for patents on new solar cell and system designs that eliminate surface polarization.

For more information, visit: www.sunpowercorp.com

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Published: August 2005
Glossary
polarization
Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other electromagnetic waves. In simpler terms, it describes the direction in which the electric field vector of a wave vibrates. Understanding polarization is important in various fields, including optics, telecommunications, and physics. Key points about polarization: Transverse waves: Polarization is a concept associated with transverse waves, where the oscillations occur...
CypressenergyNews & Featurespolarizationsiliconsolar cellsSunPower

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