News Chinese solar company says its new cell has an efficiency of 35.5 percent Commercial solar cells only have a conversion efficiency of around 25 percent. By Mariella Moon July 18, 2026 9:00 am EST LONGi Chinese company LONGi has developed a solar cell that it claims has achieved a conversion efficiency of 35.5 percent, as verified by the European Solar Test Installation, a reference laboratory for the calibration of photovoltaic (PV) devices. That's an impressive conversion efficiency compared to what most solar cells are capable of. According to the US Energy Information Administration , the solar cells in commercially available panels are just now approaching a 25 percent efficiency. There are cells with a conversion efficiency of 50 percent, but they're for niche uses, like solar panels for satellites. The company specifically developed crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells.
They're an emergent PV technology that LONGi believes is the future of solar energy. Theoretically, these cells could achieve an efficiency of 43 percent. LONGi first achieved an efficiency of 33.9 percent in November 2023 and then 34.6 in June 2024. After several more incremental increases, the company is now claiming an efficiency of 35.5 percent.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2218081/chinese-solar-cell-efficiency-35-5-percent/
They're an emergent PV technology that LONGi believes is the future of solar energy. Theoretically, these cells could achieve an efficiency of 43 percent. LONGi first achieved an efficiency of 33.9 percent in November 2023 and then 34.6 in June 2024. After several more incremental increases, the company is now claiming an efficiency of 35.5 percent.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2218081/chinese-solar-cell-efficiency-35-5-percent/