University Research
Old Microwave Synthesises CZTS Nanocrystals in Minutes
22 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Researchers at The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah (US) have used a discarded microwave oven to produce CZTS nanocrystals from cheap, abundant and less toxic metals than other photovoltaic semiconductors. Now they want to optimise this potentially fast, large-scale production method for commercialisation.
Fluorescent Organic Dye Boosts Light Absorption, Recycles Electrons in Solar Cells
16 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Adding fluorescent organic squaraine dye into polymer solar cells considerably boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, scientists at Yale University have discovered. Consequentially, power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by 38% in the experiments.
Nanoplasmonic Solar Cell Research From Lab to Pilot Project
08 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
A $4 million injection of funding will see researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia and CSIRO take nanoplasmonic solar cell technology from the lab to a small scale pilot project.
Nanostructure-Coated Black Silicon Solar Cells Via ALD
09 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Aspiring to improve photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency by using latest advances in nanotechnology, researchers at Aalto University, Finland, are combining “black silicon” with the method of atomic layer deposition (ALD). As a result, the nanostructures fabricated by plasma dry etching minimise sunlight reflection. Moreover, a conformal, thin passivating layer, deposited onto the nanostructures through ALD, prevents charge carriers from recombining at the surface.
New South Wales Solar Discovery Sets New Record
06 May 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Solar engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) (Australia) have developed an innovative method to dramatically improve the quality of low-grade silicon, promising to significantly improve electrical efficiency and reduce the cost of solar panels.The UNSW team has discovered a mechanism to control hydrogen atoms so they can better correct deficiencies in silicon – by far the most expensive component used in the making of solar cells.
“Best Yet” Battery Design to Stabilise Solar Power for Grid
05 May 2013POSTED IN Research
Researchers from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University developed a simplified, highly scalable new battery design with significantly higher energy density that could stabilise the power output of alternative forms of energy, such as solar. As potential solution to notorious power fluctuation issues, the low-cost, long-life flow battery could thus enable solar energy to become a major supplier to the electrical grid.
IBM Develops Economical Sunflower CPV System
29 April 2013POSTED IN Research
IBM’s solar concentrator system — called an economical High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system — could revolutionise solar energy. Mounted on innovative concrete solar trackers, the sunflower-inspired parabolic dish uses a multitude of mirror facets to concentrate sunlight onto several microchannel-liquid cooled receivers with photovoltaic converter chips. Scientists are hoping to develop an affordable photovoltaic system that can collect and convert 75–80% of the incoming solar radiation into energy.
Pentacene Coating Could Push Solar Cell Efficiency Beyond Shockley-Queisser Limit
25 April 2013POSTED IN Research
Thanks to a new coating developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), solar cells could produce two electrons for every particle of light harvested at the green and blue wavelengths. The research advance could be the key to solar cell efficiencies beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit, which proposes that the ultimate conversion efficiency can never exceed 34% for a single optimised semiconductor junction.
Dyesol Enters New Market with Equity Stake in Printed Power Pte
23 April 2013POSTED IN Business News
Printed batteries and sensor networks are to be integrated with energy generating Dye Solar Cell technology in products being developed by Printed Power Pte Ltd in a new venture with Dyesol Limited.
Daytime Cooling Technology Sends Heat Into Outer Space
15 April 2013POSTED IN Research
A new type of passive solar structure designed by researchers at Stanford University in California (US) combines a thermal emitter and a solar reflector into one device that could cool buildings even in full sunshine. The daylight cooling technology, also applicable to car roofs and other structures, sends heat back into outer space and could hold promises for solutions to offset global warming.
Bottom-Up Growth Key to 4.9% Efficient QD Solar Cells
09 April 2013POSTED IN Research
New research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), shows that bottom-up-grown one-dimensional nanostructures can significantly improve the performance of colloidal quantum dot (QD) solar cells. In fact, the MIT team demonstrated a solar power conversion efficiency of 4.9%, which is among the highest reported for zinc-oxide-based quantum dot photovoltaics (QDPV).
University of Michigan Develops Paint-On Plastic Electronics
01 April 2013POSTED IN Research
University of Michigan engineers have developed a new method for getting semiconductor polymers in line that could pave the way for cheaper, greener, "paint-on" plastic electronics.
Magnolia Demonstrates High-Performance, Flexible CIGS Solar Cell
13 March 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Magnolia Solar Corporation announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Magnolia Solar, Inc., has demonstrated a flexible CIGS solar cell with an efficiency of 13%, rivaling the average efficiency of current PV technologies and proving that flexible thin film solar cells are potentially a viable solution for various energy needs.
University of Michigan Next Generation Solar Car
12 March 2013POSTED IN Applications News
The name of the University of Michigan's next solar car, which will be one step closer to resembling a real-world vehicle, is "Generation," the U-M solar car team announced today at the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas.
Neutron Scattering Technique May Increase Thin-Film Solar Efficiency
11 March 2013POSTED IN Research
Engineers and scientists from the University of Sheffield, UK, have pioneered a new technique — called SERGIS — to measure the structure of PCBM crystallites (a fullerene derivative of the C60 buckyball) in thin-film solar cell materials, which will ultimately help to make the cells more efficient.
Yale’s Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Could Advance Si Solar Cells
04 March 2013POSTED IN Research
A carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film developed by researchers at the Yale University could prove a novel and cost-effective way to realise superior photovoltaic properties of crystalline solar cells. The hybrid carbon nanotube/silicon solar cells may have unmatched power conversion efficiency.
Layered Oxide Heterostructures for Ultra-Efficient, Ultra-Thin Solar Cells
24 February 2013POSTED IN Research
In their quest for advanced solar cell materials, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna), Austria, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany and the US, are exploring a new class of materials where single atomic layers are combined to create novel materials with entirely new properties. Computer simulations revealed that layered oxide heterostructures hold great potential for ultra-efficient, ultra-thin solar cells.
US Startup Applies for Solar-Cell Efficiency Technology Patent
21 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
Silicon Solar Solutions, a Genesis Technology Incubator client at the University of Arkansas (US), has developed a new technology that could improve the efficiency of solar cells by 15%, potentially saving manufacturers millions of dollars in production costs.
The start-up company at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park has submitted an application for a full patent on a self-aligned hydrogenated selective emitter for N-type solar cells, moving the patent from “provisional” to “pending,” said Douglas Hutchings (pictured left), chief executive officer of Silicon Solar Solutions.
Cool Earth Solar and Sandia Sign Public-Private Partnership
20 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
In a public-private partnership that takes full advantage of the Livermore Valley Open Campus(LVOC) for the first time, Sandia National Laboratories and Cool Earth Solar have signed an agreement that could make solar energy more affordable and accessible.
Swiss University Sets Thin-Film Efficiency Record
15 February 2013POSTED IN Applications News
EPFL’s Institute of Microengineering (IMT) has achieved a 10.7% efficiency single-junction microcrystalline silicon solar cell, surpassing the previous world record of 10.1% held by the Japanese company Kaneka Corporation since 1998, according to the Swiss university.
