The solar industry stands at an inflection point. Although the cost of solar installations has plummeted over the last few years, efficiency gains have slowed down as the industry rapidly approaches the 28% maximum efficiency achievable in commercial silicon solar panels. Increasing panel efficiency is essential to further reducing the cost of solar energy (so called Levelised Cost of Energy/Electricity or LCOE), accelerating adoption, and tilting grid energy further towards a mix of clean and renewable energy. A change is needed if we’re to reach those goals. Something that will break through solar’s efficiency ceiling. Something that Cambridge Photon Technology can offer.
Incremental improvements don’t fully address the challenge
Silicon’s efficiency ceiling isn’t a manufacturing limitation — it’s a fundamental physics constraint. Known as the Shockley-Queisser limit, this theoretical maximum caps silicon cell efficiency at approximately 33% under standard test conditions. In practice, that means commercial panels will struggle to exceed 28%, leaving substantial energy on the table.
So far, the industry’s response to the silicon ceiling has largely focused on incremental enhancements — improved cell texturing, better anti-reflective coatings, improved electrical contacts, and optimised panel layouts. Although these modifications do work, they tend to deliver efficiency gains of less than <1%, while requiring modification of manufacturing processes and lines.
Equally, there are new technologies which could significantly improve solar efficiency, but they also require new manufacturing methods, new materials, and production methods that are incompatible with existing silicon solar panel infrastructure. Not to mention the high levels of expenditure and the time it would take to make these installations operational. Because when it comes to the clean energy transition, time, cost and therefore leverage of existing manufacturing assets and processes really is of the essence.
The path forward lies in advanced materials
If incremental improvements aren’t the answer, nor rebuilding the entire system, what is?
Advanced materials, if properly engineered, can help break through the silicon ceiling and work within existing manufacturing infrastructure. Next generation technologies that can increase the efficiency of standard silicon cells, without needing to build new production lines or develop new manufacturing processes.
Our Photon Multiplier materials do just this, by turning unused light into usable power. By boosting panel output by up to 15%, we can break through the silicon ceiling, creating additional energy generation capacity. And without changing how solar panels are made — as a drop-in solution, it uses existing processes and assets to enable more power from every panel.
Continued growth beyond the silicon ceiling
CPT’s Photon Multiplier technology unlocks the next phase of solar efficiency gains
and delivers three strategic advantages:
- Enhanced solar panel performance — making solar work harder. The Photon Multiplier boosts panel performance without capex or redesign, resulting in higher profit margins, faster ROI, and the ultimate competitive differentiator for panel manufacturers.
- Reduced LCOE — achieving energy generation targets with less land and lower area-dependent costs.
- Accelerated clean energy targets — the Photon Multiplier increases the energy generation of future solar panels to achieve carbon reduction goals.
The silicon ceiling is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Silicon solar tech has brought us far, and the journey isn’t over yet. There’s a way to break through the ceiling and boost efficiency gains without overhauling the entire manufacturing ecosystem. By adopting advanced materials, we can unlock the next phase of solar efficiency gains and level up solar’s contribution to the clean energy transition.
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