Solar Cells With 44% Efficiency Are Possible
By Nick May 29, 2008
A team of collaborating researchers from the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter and TU Delft brought proof that electrons produce the ‘Avalanche Effect’ in a certain type of semiconducting crystals. This effect, combined with the energy obtaining process via solar cells, could result in a high improvement in their output.
The solar cells technology seems the perfect future source of energy. However, so far scientists have been unable to make use of the majority of the energy received by solar cells, at this point only about 15-20% of it being used.
A new type of solar cells made of semiconducting nanocrystals could change this, as one cell of this kind could release two or three electrons instead of just one, like the old cells did. The nanocrystal cells are relatively cheap to create and, more than that, they could raise the regular output up to 44 percent.
Topics: Energy |
One Response to “Solar Cells With 44% Efficiency Are Possible”
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Any idea what the chemical/industrial run-off is from making these nanocrystals? I mean, I do really hope that they are both environmentally savvy and cheap to create, just wondering what the cost is ecologically to produce them. Seems like a lot of the newer fuel sources are all well and good once established but it’s costing a whole lot up front, like the whole corn/ethanol fiasco. It would be great if only it didn’t cost more energy to extract the cellulose than it was producing.