Silicon Valley-based Solar Junction, a developer of high-efficiency multi-junction solar energy cells for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market, is in contract negotiation along with IQE - the leading global supplier of semiconductor wafers - for the development of next-generation satellite solar cells for the European Space Agency.

"Solar Junction and IQE have been working closely for the past year as strategic manufacturing partners of the world's most efficient multi-junction solar cells. Our dilute nitride technology and high-efficiency roadmap is a proven and sustainable pathway for present and future space and terrestrial applications.

"Winning this contract proves that we're on-track. We're proud to be the best solution for the European Space Agency," stated Jim Weldon, CEO of Solar Junction.

Solar Junction surpassed its own world record in October 2012, achieving 44% efficiency at a concentration of 942 suns. This record continues to demonstrate the value of its proprietary Adjustable Spectrum Lattice Matched (A-SLAM) architecture.

A-SLAM provides material bandgap tunability to maximize the absorbed sunlight within CPV modules, thereby increasing the efficiency and energy harvested.

Additionally, A-SLAM maintains the lattice-matched paradigm, which has been the foundation of semiconductor and multi-junction solar cell reliability for decades.