Sharp says it's developed a way to mass produce triple-junction thin film solar cells by turning a conventional two-active-layer structure into a triple-junction structure.

The new architecture will boost thin film cell conversion efficiency from 11% to 13% and module conversion efficiency from 8.6% to 10%, the company said, when produced in volume. Production is slated to begin in May at Sharp’s Katsuragi Plant in Japan.

Creating two amorphous silicon active layers increases voltage levels, and structuring the cell to have three active layers in combination with microcrystalline silicon decreases light-induced degradation (drop in conversion efficiency), the company said. The result is high conversion efficiencies at the top levels in the industry, it claimed, with cell conversion efficiency at 13% and module conversion efficiency at 10%.

Normally, the shift from a two-layer structure to a three-layer structure would require new production equipment, the company said, but Sharp intends to make these new thin film cells on the same equipment as conventional tandem (two-layer) cells.

Consequently, the new cells are expected to deliver power at a lower price per watt.

In addition, Sharp said that using this new triple-junction thin-film solar cell in Sharp’s Lumiwall Illuminating Solar Panel, a combination of solar module and LEDs, or in transparent thin-film solar modules designed for use as architectural elements, will enable higher power output.

Analysts have ranked Sharp the world's leading solar cell producer for the past six years in a row.