Tag Archives: SolarPanel

IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

There have been more than a few solar power efficiency records set in the past few months, let alone years. What makes IBM, DelSolar, Solar Frontier and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo think they can just waltz in and claim a record of their own? By using more commonplace elements in the periodic table, that's how. The partnership's new photovoltaic cell based on copper, zinc and tin (CZTS for short) can convert light rays to electric power with a 11.1 percent efficiency rate -- still nothing to upset traditional silicon power, but a large 10 percent more efficient than anything else in the class. In its early form, CZTS can already be manufactured through ink printing and could be produced in quantities equivalent to about 500 gigawatts of power per year, or five times more than some of the next-closest alternatives. The group wants to improve CZTS' efficiency over the course of the next several years, ideally reaching the point where it's useful as a truly cheap, ubiquitous source of power. We're looking forward to the day when there's a little slice of solar energy in just about everything, hopefully including a few more hybrid cars and private aircraft.

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MIT Technology Review  |  sourceIBM Research  | Email this | Comments

Researchers make unsuitable parts work as solar cells, could lead to cheaper panels

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Researchers make unsuitable parts work as solar cells, could lead to cheaper panels

Harnessing the power of the sun is a tricky business, but even the past few weeks have seen some interesting developments in the field. In this latest installment, researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California have figured out a way of making solar cells from any semiconductor, potentially reducing the cost of their production. You see, efficient solar cells require semiconductors to be chemically modified for the current they produce to flow in one direction. The process uses expensive materials and only works with a few types of semiconductors, but the team's looking at using ones which aren't normally suitable -- the magic is to apply an electrical field to them. This field requires energy, but what's consumed is said to be a tiny fraction of what the cell's capable of producing when active, and it means chemical modification isn't needed.

The concept of using a field to standardize the flow of juice isn't a new one, but the team's work on the geometrical structure of the cells has made it a reality, with a couple of working prototypes to satisfy the skeptics. More of these are on the way, as their focus has shifted to which semiconductors can offer the best efficiency at the lowest cost. And when the researchers have answered that question, there's nothing left to do but get cracking on commercial production. For the full scientific explanation, hit up the links below.

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Researchers make unsuitable parts work as solar cells, could lead to cheaper panels originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 11:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica, ScienceDaily  |  sourceNano Letters  | Email this | Comments

3D, light-trapping solar cells successfully fabricated by Solar3D

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3D, lighttrapping solar cells successfully fabricated by Solar3D

Solar3D probably isn't a company you're particularly familiar with... at least not yet. The California-based manufacturer has just successfully fabricated a three dimensional solar panel that traps sun light in nano-scale wells on a silicon wafer. Perhaps most exciting, the prototype panel was built using off-the-shelf tech from Panasonic, meaning that the price of mass production shouldn't be prohibitively high. More testing is needed, but the resulting panels should be up to 50 percent more efficient than current generation 2D ones. For a few more details, check out The PR after the break.

Continue reading 3D, light-trapping solar cells successfully fabricated by Solar3D

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3D, light-trapping solar cells successfully fabricated by Solar3D originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAE Systems designs hard composite solar cells: could act as structure of UAVs, piece of soldier’s gear

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BAE designs hard composite solar cells could act as structure of UAVs, piece of soldier's gear

BAE Systems revealed that it's working on hardy, high-capacity solar cells that could power unmanned vehicles and even attach to an individual soldier's gear. According to Darren Buckle, a manager from BAE Systems' Advanced Technology Center, the cells are geared toward smaller, often airborne, military units, where weight is at a premium. The system, still in the development stage, could offer up power for heavy endurance unmanned air vehicles, provided the cells are made sensitive enough to absorb energy in less sunny situations -- something that the company's England-based engineers are currently contending with.

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BAE Systems designs hard composite solar cells: could act as structure of UAVs, piece of soldier's gear originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDefense Tech  | Email this | Comments

Logitech unveils its Solar Keyboard Folio for the new iPad and iPad 2, we go hands-on

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Logitech unveils its Solar Keyboard Folio for the new iPad and iPad 2, we go hands-on

There are all sorts of ways to go green these days, from driving an EV to installing super efficient light bulbs, and now Logitech's given us an environmentally friendly way to type tactilely on a tablet. It's a new iPad and iPad 2-friendly case called the Solar Keyboard Folio, which packs a Bluetooth keyboard powered by ambient light using the same solar cell tech found on the firm's computer keyboards. Once topped up with photons, Logitech claims its battery will keep you typing for over 1,000 hours even in complete darkness. The case is crafted of black, soft-touch, faux leather embossed with a small Logitech logo and has perforations for the iPad's speakers, plus a portal for the tablet's camera.

Gallery: Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad

Its keyboard is made of gray plastic, and pecking at the grid is a similar experience to using the one found on Logitech's other recently released iPad typing peripheral, the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover. Buttons are short-throw and provide satisfying clicky feedback, but the space bar and shift keys have a hollow feel when pressed. Perhaps the Folio's most intriguing design feature is the feet on the corners of the cradle in which the iPad is placed. Those little nubs allow for two viewing angles -- your slate can be seated in a more upright position behind the keyboard for typing, or in the notches outside the two shift keys for a more obtuse viewing angle when the keyboard isn't needed. What's this bit of green gear cost? It goes on sale in the US and Europe this month with an MSRP of $130.

Continue reading Logitech unveils its Solar Keyboard Folio for the new iPad and iPad 2, we go hands-on

Logitech unveils its Solar Keyboard Folio for the new iPad and iPad 2, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla pairs up with SolarCity, will power off-grid homes as well as cars

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Tesla pairs up with SolarCity, will power off-grid homes as well as cars

If you've ever dreamed of thumbing your nose at big energy and its expensive, polluting ways, then Tesla and a solar panel leasing company called SolarCity might be taking you a baby-step closer to reality. Although recognized mostly for its EVs, Tesla reckons it knows enough about batteries to solve a key problem in the solar energy chain -- namely the storage of power for use when the sun, power grid, or both go offline. The battery design, consisting of many laptop-style lithium ion batteries stacked together, was chosen after two years of research and a $1.8 million energy grant. The two companies are now waiting for tax credits from the Fed and California before rolling out the tech. And being kissing cousins -- with Elon Musk as both Chairman of SolarCity and CEO of Tesla -- certainly can't hurt.

Tesla pairs up with SolarCity, will power off-grid homes as well as cars originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceGigaOM  | Email this | Comments

Researchers create incredibly thin solar cells flexible enough to wrap around a human hair

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You've probably heard that the sun is strong enough to power our planet many times over, but without a practical method of harnessing that energy, there's no way to take full advantage. An incredibly thin and light solar cell could go a long way to accomplishing that on a smaller scale, however, making the latest device from researchers from the University of Austria and the University of Tokyo a fairly significant discovery. Scientists were able to create an ultra-thin solar cell that measures just 1.9 micrometers thick -- roughly one-tenth the size of the next device. Not only is the sample slim -- composed of electrodes mounted on plastic foil, rather than glass -- it's also incredibly flexible, able to be wrapped around a single strand of human hair (which, believe it or not, is nearly 20 times thicker). The scalable cell could replace batteries in lighting, display and medical applications, and may be ready to be put to use in as few as five years. There's a bounty of physical measurement and efficiency data at the source link below, so grab those reading glasses and click on past the break.

Researchers create incredibly thin solar cells flexible enough to wrap around a human hair originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  sourceNature Communications  | Email this | Comments