solar cell search update - found!

[KTP]

hi guys,

I think I have found the answer to my quest for a high efficiency multijunction solar cell/panel for some low power microcontroller designs.  The new panel I was just sampled is a pre-production prototype made up of 10 cells and is fracking amazing.  It is super thin, light and small, but not really fragile.  It is about 3.6 grams, a little smaller than a business card (and about twice as thick) and produces over 5V at 80mA in full sun!  In a indoor room with a single 100 watt bulb 8 feet away it produced 156uW at 2.75V....a surplus of power for something like the MSP430.  I have a polycrystaline panel about 8 times as heavy and 50% larger which doesn't produce 1/3 this power!

I only have the one sample, but full production is supposed to start this year, but that probably really means maybe these will be available next year sometime.

[TopherTheME]

Very nice. Any info about the price?

[KTP]

not really any price info, except that they may need to be purchased in cases of 500 or so 

[TopherTheME]

not really any price info, except that they may need to be purchased in cases of 500 or so 

EEV blog group buy anyone?

[JohnS_AZ]

but full production is supposed to start this year

I've heard that a few hundred times in my career.  

But... if they do manage to get into production, I'd be interested in a few.

[EEVblog]

but full production is supposed to start this year

I've heard that a few hundred times in my career.  

Only a few hundred? 

Dave.

[rossmoffett]

A similar panel is already available, though it may be a bit larger than what you've described.  I'm looking for one to power some bright LEDs at night and I think this is the one for me.

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=262