Researchers at the University of Picardie Jules Verne in collaboration with those from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have announced a new discovery regarding the production of solar power. They have developed a new type of an electrolyte system for solar cells that makes them much more efficient for long periods.
Their study has also been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. According to Frederic Sauvage, Michael Graetzel and colleagues, the new improved solar cells are less expensive compared to traditional ones made from the semi-conductor material, silicon.
These so-called Graetzel cells (named after the discoverer, Michael Graetzel) or dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have other advantages. For example, they can be produced in lightweight flexible sheets that are more durable and suitable for roll-up applications such as window shades.
The study also shows that a new electrolyte composition suitable for the DSC, conceived with a new kind of material has a relatively high efficiency of 10 percent. After around 1,000 hours of testing, scientists claim that the new device was able to retain at least 95 percent of that sun-converting ability.
[via ScienceCodex]
