Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have successfully designed a more efficient solar cell that is capable both of emitting light and absorbing it. The development came after researchers examined the reasoning behind why such a large gap existed between the theoretical limit to the amount of electrical energy that can be harvested by a solar cell and the … [Read more...]
Cooling Semiconductor with Laser Light
Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have discovered a new method for laser cooling semiconductor membranes. Semiconductors are vital components in solar cells, LEDs and many other electronics, and the efficient cooling of components is important for future quantum computers and ultrasensitive sensors. Using lasers, researchers cooled membrane fluctuations to minus 269 … [Read more...]
Tiny Solar Cell Saves Money and Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently validated greater than 41 percent efficiency at a concentration of 1,000 suns for tiny cells made by Semprius. The energy conversion efficiency of a solar cell is the percentage of sunlight converted by the cell into electricity. Seed money from DOE, together with the experts at the NREL-based … [Read more...]
Affordable Solar Panels
Applied Nanotech has developed a way to make some solar technology cheaper, which could reduce the cost of solar panels. Solar panels are made up of a collection of solar wafers, and the company is attempting to make solar technology cheaper by creating a thinner silicon wafer, and a more efficient way to apply the metallic ink without breaking the wafer. Applied Nanotech has … [Read more...]
Invention Speeds Solar Cell Quality Tests
Three scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory have developed a way to assess the quality of solar cells at a speed that is orders of magnitude faster than had been done before. The instrument, Real-time QE, licensed and embellished by Tau Science Corp. as FlashQE™, uses light-emitting diodes, high-speed electronics and mathematical … [Read more...]
