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Nanoantenna Solar Cell Efficiency Can Blow Silicon Out Of The Water
Today, conventional silicon solar cells are 10% to 20% efficient (this means that they generate 100 watts to 200 watts per square metre of cells respectively). These conventional panels are already in use worldwide, and they do work, however, more efficient panels would still be very helpful in multiple ways.
Brian Willis in bimolecular and chemical engineering stands in front of an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer
Image Source: Sean Flynn/UConn
There is a theoretical technology that involves using nano-sized rectenna — or rectifying antenna – which, as the name implies can absorb and rectify solar energy into direct current (DC).
It can achieve a theoretical maximum of 70% efficiency, which is stunning by any standard; only hydroelectric power plants can surpass this level of efficiency. The efficiency of all the other power plants is below 50%, except combined cycle natural gas plants.
Unfortunately, this concept has been limited because scientists do not know how to construct and test it. Researchers at the University of Connecticut may have the answer to this puzzle, however. It is called selective area atomic layer deposition (ALD).
According to Phys.org, ALD is what it would take to finally manufacture a working prototype of this recent type of solar cell.
“In a rectenna device, one of the two interior electrodes must have a sharp tip, similar to the point of a triangle. The secret is getting the tip of that electrode within one or two nanometers of the opposite electrode, something similar to holding the point of a needle to the plane of a wall.”
The integration of solar panels into devices is far cheaper than paying contractors to construct mounting equipment and putting the panels on the roof, and integrated panels that are 70% efficient can power laptops and cellphone on a smaller scale as well. A 60 watt panel of this type could be mounted on a 17 inch notebook computer, for example.
More efficient solar panels are also smaller, and hence can be installed at a lower cost than conventional ones.
Nanoantenna Solar Cell Efficiency Can Blow Silicon Out Of The Water was originally published on: CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 30,000 others and subscribe to our free RSS feed, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or just visit our homepage.
2013-02-07 01:15:48
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