University of Cambridge scientists have developed hybrid solar cells that could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by more than
The U. of Buffalo (NY) says adding quantum dots into solar cells could increase their efficiency by a whopping 45%.
(PhysOrg.com) -- The best performing solar cells are those that are thick enough to absorb light from the entire solar spectrum, while the cheapest solar cells are thin ones, since they require less, and potentially cheaper, material. In an attempt to combine the best of both worlds, a team of scientists has outlined designs for solar cells that can absorb light from the entire solar spectrum yet are as little as 10 nanometers thick. The new design approach, which could lead to improved low-cost solar cells, requires overcoming a thermodynamic light-trapping limit proposed in the 1980s.
The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light—electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Theoretical research by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has led to record-breaking sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies in solar cells. The researchers showed that, contrary to conventional scientific wisdom, the key to boosting solar cell efficiency is not absorbing more photons but emitting more photons.
Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. They have achieved and demonstrated a record voltage for organic photovoltaic cells that means these highly flexible, low cost solar cells can now be devolved for commercial uses in a wide range of consumer electronics.
Researchers at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at TU Delft in the Netherlands have demonstrated that electrons can move freely in layers of linked
The most efficient colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cell ever has been created by researchers from the University of Toronto (U of T), King Abdullah
Conventional silicon-based rigid solar cells generally found on the market are not suitable for manufacturing moldable thin-film solar cells, in which a transparent, flexible and electrically conductive electrode collects the light and carries away the current. A new woven polymer electrode has now produced first results which are very promising, indicating that the new material may be a substitute for indium tin oxide coatings.
The race to achieve ever-higher photovoltaic conversion ratios is, so to speak, a hot area of research. One line of research has focused on quantum dots – semiconductor nanocrystals under 2-10 nanometers (about 10-50 atoms) in diameter in which electron motion is confined in all three dimensions – as the fundamental elements of nanoscale solar cell technology.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at MIT have found a way to make significant improvements to the power-conversion efficiency of solar cells by enlisting the services of tiny viruses to perform detailed assembly work at the microscopic level.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ultrasensitive electronic skin developed by Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao is getting even better. Now she
The sheet of paper looks like any other document that might have just come spitting out of an office printer, with an array of colored rectangles printed over much of its surface. But then a researcher picks it up, clips a couple of wires to one end, and shines a light on the paper. Instantly an LCD clock display at the other end of the wires starts to display the time.
(PhysOrg.com) -- A world record double by UNSW solar cell researchers promises to make solar power more affordable, with world-beating new technology delivering substantial efficiency gains at minimal extra cost.
