redOrbit: ENERGY Scientists at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8% of the light that hits it into electricity. This is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date. The so-called inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell was designed, fabricated and independently tested at NREL. The 40.8% efficiency was measured under concentrated light …