Sanyo announced today that it has broken its own record for the world’s highest energy conversion efficiency in practical size (100 cm2 or more) crystalline silicon-type solar cells, achieving a efficiency of 23.0% (until now 22.3%) at a research level for its proprietary HIT solar photovoltaic cells. The increase in the solar cell conversion efficiency this time is accompanied by significant advances in lowering the production cost of the photovoltaic system and the reduction in the use of raw materials such as silicon. This achievement by Ssnyo represents the first time that a photovoltaic manufacturer has broken through the 23% mark in conversion efficiency at the research-level for practical-sizxed solar cells.