Scientists at GE’s Global Research Center have been developing a better material for use in the solar industry. First discovered in attempts to produce artificial diamonds, silicon carbide (SiC) is likely to replace silicon in the semiconductor and solar industries, significantly increasing their efficiency and speed.
SiC is a synthetic crystalline compound of silicon and carbon with diamond-like strength and resistance to high temperatures, along with excellent abilities to conduct electricity.
The most effective application of SiC in the solar industry is in solar power inverters. Inverters switch direct current (DC) generated by the solar panels into alternating current (AC) that flows from the wall outlet or that can feed back into the electric grid.
Also on Forbes:
SiC is better suited for use at higher voltages. SiC switches faster and can operate at much higher switching frequencies and temperatures than silicon-based material. Because of its lower power losses during signal amplification and switching, SiC systems can achieve twice the power density compared to silicon.
Lower losses also mean that the inverter doesn’t generate as much heat, which allows air-cooling and fewer parts. Another advantage of using SiC power transistors in inverters will be to extend the life of the inverters themselves.
GE says its SiC LV5+ Solar Inverter has an efficiency rating of 99% EU while traditional inverters are 98% EU. Going from 98% to 99% efficiency may not seem like much, but for a 100-MW solar array, the improved efficiency of SiC inverters provides enough extra electricity to power 170 extra households per year, a value of over $2.5 million over the plant’s lifetime.
Having much higher energy yields, SiC will drive down solar’s levelized costs to produce electricity (LCOE) and could achieve grid parity with other sources of electricity generation, particularly coal.
This development is extremely important for investors like Elon Musk who recently lost $3.5 billion just this year on his holdings in solar panel installer SolarCity and electric car maker Tesla. Both of Musk's firms have fallen out of favor with investors this year as the market continues to punish companies that are thin on profit but high on valuation.
But SiC chips could change all aspects of our energy future because they can be used inside any device that needs to switch power between AC and DC. They could make trains, planes and wind turbines much more efficient.
Just one of those game-changing advances that changes the future for everyone.