Solar cells of the future

EurekAlert ^ | 2007-12-05 | Martin Aagesen

[crazyshrink]

A new material, nano flakes, may revolutionise the transformation of solar energy to electricity. If so, even ordinary households can benefit from solar electricity and save money in the future.

If researcher Martin Aagesen’s future solar cells meet the expectations, both your economy and the environment will benefit from the research. Less than 1 per cent of the world’s electricity comes from the sun because it is difficult to transform solar energy to electricity. But Martin Aagesen’s discovery may be a huge step towards boosting the exploitation of solar energy.

- We believe that the nano flakes have the potential to convert up to 30 per cent of the solar energy into electricity and that is twice the amount that we convert today, says Martin Aagesen who is a PhD from the Nano-Science Center and the Niels Bohr Institute at University of Copenhagen. During his work on his PhD thesis, Martin found a new and untried material.

- I discovered a perfect crystalline structure. That is a very rare sight. While being a perfect crystalline structure we could see that it also absorbed all light. It could become the perfect solar cell, says Martin Aagesen. The discovery of the new material has sparked a lot of attention internationally and has led to an article in Nature Nanotechnology.

- The potential is unmistakeable. We can reduce the solar cell production costs because we use less of the expensive semiconducting silicium in the process due to the use of nanotechnology. At the same time, the future solar cells will exploit the solar energy better as the distance of energy transportation in the solar cell will be shorter and thus lessen the loss of energy, says Martin Aagesen who is also director of the company SunFlake Inc. that pursues development of the new solar cell.

Link to Nature Nanotechnology article

[cripplecreek]

I saw something like this on the discovery channel a while back. Interesting stuff that could revolutionize the solar power industry if it can be economically produced on any kind of scale.

[P8riot]

Paint your house and car with solar cells. Interesting concept.

[cripplecreek]

You wouldn’t need to cover that much area due to the fact that they’re so efficient at collecting solar energy.

[agere_contra]

Flakes that absorb all energy?

We’ve all had an ex-girlfriend like that.

[Hayzo]

Let me guess! It is 10-15 years away from any marketable application.

For all the ‘incredible breakthroughs’ in the alternative energy movements that I have read recently that are ‘10 years’ away from any practical application, I wish I had a dime for everyone. I will say that if these 10 year promises come true, i will love to tell my current electric company to go eff itself.

[fireforeffect]

...expensive semiconducting silicium

Silicon.

I hope you retyped this.

[TruthWillWin]

Nano-nano. Perhaps Mork knew what he was talking about after all.

[ScottyinTN]

I believe those flakes absorb money.

[chimera]

It’s that way with fusion as well. That’s been 20 years away from break-even for the last 40 years. We’ve got LWR technology available here and now that can produce prodigious amounts of electricity with zero emissions essentially on-demand (unlike solar). That is the way we should be going. For the annual cost of the food stamps program we could build 15 baseload nuclear plants each year. At that rate, within the span of a single generation we could triple the nuclear capacity of the country.

[SuziQ]

Let me guess! It is 10-15 years away from any marketable application.

Possibly, but remember, there is technology available today that was only reported about 10 or 15 years ago. I'd love to be able to live off the grid, and if it takes 10 or 15 years, that's fine with me. That means the much of our Social Security and retirement savings wouldn't have to go to the electric company. ;o)

[Edward Watson]

I dunno. There’s a lot of missing info in the article. For example, how will the “crystalline” cells be mass produced? What is their life expectancy and how will they perform in different conditions? (e.g., will they melt if subjected to rain or high temperatures?)

How comparable are these nano flakes to thin-film technology, which can be mass produced using well-known manufacturing processes?

Still, am glad there’s another option for photovoltaics out there.

[east1234]

“We’ve all had an ex-girlfriend like that.”

I’ve got a soon to be ex-wife like that.

[camerongood210]

For the past few years, it seems everyone “in the know” have been quietly freakin out over the possibility of an EMP attack that would render our entire electronic infrastructure usless. I wonder if this would react in the same manner to an EMP? I’m not near smart enough or informed on this matter to know to form an opinion. What do you think?