PhotoVoltaics

Not even in our wildest dreams have we anticipated that while we are simply looking out the window enjoying the outside view our windows can simultaneously produce energy for our household needs! Not only windows but the facade of the house, too, might be harnessing the power of solar energy. This might be our future domestic power supply scenario. This can be possible with the help of transparent solar cells. These solar cells can increase the surface area to produce energy. 6 Comments

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland have developed flexible solar panels that could be installed on roofs like shingles. This technology was originally used to protect flat panel televisions from dampness. They used to cover television screen with transparent, thin films that acted as barriers. These transparent thin film barriers are now becoming the basis for flexible solar panels that would be installed on roofs like shingles. These flexible rooftop solar panels are known as building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPVs. They could replace today's boxy solar panels. We all know that current solar panels are made with rigid glass or silicon and mounted on thick metal frames. If we compare present solar panels and flexible solar shingles we will find the later ones less expensive to install than current panels and made to last 25 years. 13 Comments

For centuries we have been using fossil fuels for industrial and domestic purposes. Most of us consider fossil fuels cheap. But now we are realizing the "real" costs of using fossil fuels. It is destroying our environment and making us pay in other terms. Another problem we are facing is, what were luxuries for the previous generation have become the necessities for current generation. We are using lots of gadgets such as computers, cell phones, iPhones and kitchen and home appliances. They all run on electricity. It is now clear that most of us will be driving electric cars in future. So the problem will be compounded by our growing energy needs. According to the newest forecast from the World Energy Council (WEC) global electricity requirements will double in the next 40 years. At the same time, we know that prices for the dwindling resources of petroleum and natural gas are mounting. 5 Comments

The alternative sources of energy are constantly evolving. Scientists and manufacturers are trying to come up with better products that are user friendly and economical. Government is drawing policies that encourage use of alternative sources of energy. Researchers, entrepreneurs and common people are devising their own ways to use clean and green sources of energy. We are reading almost everyday about some innovation in the area of alternative energy by one university or another. Recently, University of Lleida has designed a concentration solar power module that produces heat, cold and electricity. The unique feature of these solar power modules is that they can be integrated to façades or building roofs. People instrumental in this project are Daniel Chemisana who is a member of the research group in Agrometeorology and Energy for Environment, Manel Ibáñez and Joan Ignasi Rosell. Both Manel Ibáñez and Joan Ignasi Rosell are lecturers in University of Lleida. 4 Comments

Akira Fujishima, thirty-five years ago, discovered the electrochemical properties of titanium dioxide. He showed that titanium dioxide functioned as a photocatalyst. It produced hydrogen gas from water, electricity and sunlight. Scientists are quite hopeful regarding the qualities of Titania (or titanium dioxide). This is also known as white pigment. It’s used in many products be it paint, toothpastes or sunscreen lotions. Researchers have been exploring different ways to optimize the process started by Akira Fujishima. They want to develop a commercially viable technology that transforms cheap sunlight into hydrogen, a pollution-free fuel that can be stored and shipped. 4 Comments

Scientists are constantly working on alternative energy sources to make its use widespread like fossil fuels. They are tirelessly working on the drawbacks of alternative energy sources so that they can be all pervasive like traditional sources of energy. Engineers at Oregon State University have found out a method to use an ancient life form to create one of the newest technologies for solar energy. These life forms can be successfully incorporated into the solar devices. 3 Comments

A team of scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new treatment for silicon photovoltaic solar cells. This new method generates bumps and peaks on the surface that increase cell efficiency in two ways. The uneven surface protects the cells from water and dust. When water falls on the surface, it flows off taking away dust and dirt. This auto-cleaning mechanism will help the solar cells to absorb maximum sunlight most of the time. We all know that the three-dimensional structures manage to trap more light and reflect less. If the efforts of researchers of the Georgia Institute of Technology succeed, that will increase the light absorption, reduce reflection and keep cells neat and clean of dirt particles. 5 Comments

Now scientists are working on metallic nanoparticles to manipulate light in more effective ways than conventional optical materials to tap extra energy from the sunlight. Rice University researchers are paying attention to cup-shaped gold nanostructures that can bend light in a more manipulative manner. Here the cup behaves like three-dimensional nano-antennas. 4 Comments

Solar cells are usually made of silicon coated with a thin layer of silicon nitrate. This silicon nitrate works as an anti-reflective agent to boost cell efficiency. But the catch is these types of cells are costly to produce. This anti-reflective layer deposition happens in vacuum and creating vacuum like situation doesn’t come cheap! 5 Comments

When we think of clean and green fuels, at the back of the mind we are also thinking of their drawbacks. Scientists are continuously striving to create alternatives that can eliminate the poisonous side effects of fossil fuels. A leading Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) systems producer of Finland, Picosun Oy, is participating in a European Union funded research project to achieve this. The European Union has allotted 2.9 million euros from its 7th European Research Program for the 4 million euro budget of ROD-SOL (Rods for Novel Solar Cells). 2 Comments

Everyone believing in clean and green energy knows its drawbacks. Those working on improving solar energy want to improve solar cells’ light harvesting efficiency. So that more and more solar light can be converted into energy. Well, the help may come from butterflies’ wings! A butterfly’s wing can help us enhancing the solar power efficiency. Butterfly wings have scales that act as tiny solar collectors. Researchers from China and Japan are working on designing more efficient solar cells while taking inspiration from the butterfly wings. If successful, this discovery may lead to powering homes, businesses and other applications in the future. 5 Comments

People who want to use clean and green energy often complain about high costs of solar panels and even a longer breakeven period. So research teams and companies are constantly trying to improve upon the drawbacks of solar panels. Suntrof Systems LLC is bringing forth a new innovation in solar collector panels that could bring about savings of around $ 60-70 million and lessen the time for installation by around 5-7 months. 5 Comments

Currently silicon-based solar cells are flooding the market. Industry pundits can foresee a hopeful future for low-cost, flexible solar cells. If we can make solar devices other than silicon based materials then they can be used for all sorts of applications beyond just the traditional solar panels on house rooftops. It will be great if we can have solar cells for portable electronic devices too. No Comments

Scientists are continuously improving the existing solar cells. Now they are taking the help of computer simulations and real lab testing. A group of physicists and engineers at MIT have discovered new methods to make the existing solar cells more efficient by 50%. Currently the most efficient solar cell gives 45% output and is extremely expensive to produce. Cells produced by using this new technology will be more efficient and cost effective. Their cost effectiveness emerges from just 1% use of refined silicon. It should be noted that refined silicon is quite costly. 5 Comments

We have all enjoyed watching rainbows and at some point wanted to travel to the end of them for those fabled pots of gold. We can make out the distinct seven colors of the rainbows. But what we see as colors are actually different frequencies or energy levels of the sunlight. A solar panel converts some portion of sun light into energy for our use. 1 Comment

We all want to get rid of our dependency on fossil fuels and their side effects. Alternative sources of energy seems clean and green but they have a poor conversion rate which makes some people extra cynical about the viability of renewable energy. But researchers at U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency. This photovoltaic mechanism transforms 40.8 percent of the light that goes through it into energy. This is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date. 19 Comments

When a manufacturer offers a product in the market its main aim is to penetrate in the market as deeply and as widely as possible. In short he wants to make it available to the common man. Till now solar panels are quite expensive and have a long payback period. That fact contributes to its limited popularity. Solar panel manufacturers can reduce the costs of solar panels in many ways. They can use cheaper materials, they can reduce some ingredients used in solar panels, they can reduce the wear and tear during manufacturing or they can use lesser amount of ingredients without compromising on quality. 10 Comments

Solar energy can be utilized in various ways - to provide electricity, mechanical power, heat and lighting. Passive solar heating and cooling can save substantial electricity bills. Design of a building is very important for tapping passive solar energy. The building and windows are designed in such a way that they carefully balance their energy requirements without additional mechanical equipment. Solar benefits are utilized through windows and pumps, and fans are used minimally. No Comments

Since we can’t avail the benefits and drawbacks of conventional fuels indefinitely scientists are working constantly to improve on the non conventional resources of the energy. Researchers at South Dakota State University are trying to minimize the drawbacks of solar energy. They are working on new materials which can turn solar energy into an efficient and cheaper source of electricity. This new technology uses carbon based polymers and molecules as semiconductors so it is rightly referred as “molecular electronics” or “organic electronics.” Generally inorganic material silicon is used in semiconductors. No Comments

Efforts are continuously on to make solar panels more efficient so that in future sunlight can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels. Researchers are putting tremendous effort to minimize the inadequacies of current solar panels. Both, Michael Jensen, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer and Anna Dyson, an architectural scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, along with their team are trying to make solar systems in terms of power and heat nearly eighty percent efficient. No Comments