Solar Efficiency Archives – The Green Optimistic

Nanotechnology – Silicon Solar Cell Reactive to Infrared Radiation

Benji Jerew — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:50:01 +0000

To be clear, all light, visible and invisible, is radiation, and solar cells react to this radiation by producing an electric current. Silicon solar cells, however, aren’t well-known for being reactive to infrared radiation, at least not very effectively. Silicon is an excellent choice for converting light in the visible spectrum to electricity, but outside […]

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Nano-Antennae Promise 70% Solar Efficiency

Benji Jerew — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:09:33 +0000

Modern photovoltaic solar panels are not very efficient converting solar energy into electricity. They need to convert solar energy, which is inherently alternating current [AC], into direct current [DC], which then requires further electronics, an inverter, to convert DC back into AC to connect to the power grid. Seeing as solar panels today have maximum […]

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Quantum Dots Could Double the Efficiency of Solar Cells

Mike Sandru — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:47:39 +0000

A team of scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have discovered a way to double the efficiency of solar cells. The process consists in capturing more of the available energy in sunlight (including energy at the high end of the scale), using nanoscale crystals called quantum dots.

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Moth Eyes: Research Advances On Efficient Solar Cells Inspired by Them

Mike Sandru — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:19:22 +0000

Last year, we reported in an article how scientists discovered that the moth's eyes could increase the efficiency of solar cells. Thanks to the super-transparent coatings, windows in homes and cars, computer screens and other consumer products could be improved. Now, new figures show the advances in this nature-mimicking technology.

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