Nano solar cells received a healthy dose of media attention when U.C. Santa Cruz researchers unveiled their latest findings on nanotechnology just over a month ago. CalFinder Solar included a link to the U.C. Santa Cruz announcement on our post, 3 New Solar Cells. It’s a good time to probe more inquisitively on this buzzworthy topic, one that Hudson Valley CEO John Wright thinks is the most exciting solar innovation on the table.

Nano solar cells are made on a thin film of zinc or titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which use the same low-cost material used in paint and even toothpaste. The cells have an encouraging potential to absorb ultraviolet energy and to generate electrons. Though their conversion rate is low (we’re talking one to four percent), too low to compare with silicon solar cells, their potential lies in cheaper, mass produced materials and a wide range of potential applications, include spraying on, printing, or painting.

Jin Zhang at U.C. Santa Cruz published findings which could feasibly see the nano solar cell conversion rate grow to 10 percent within the next six years. His team’s research doped the nano solar metal oxides with both nitrogen and quantum dot solar cells, rather than using just one or the other, as has been the practice thus far. The combined method was successful, though the efficiency rate was still at a low one percent. Ultimately, the goal is to get electrons to move across the nano solar cell structure more efficiently, increasing the solar conversion rate.

In the past few years, several methods have been used to increase nano solar cell efficiency. This includes the addition of carbon nanotubes to the nanoparticles. The nanotubes, or nanorods, help collect the electrons and transport them to electrodes. Otherwise, the electrons absorbed by the titanium oxide would have to jump from particle to particle before hitching a ride. Light absorbing dyes have also been applied to titanium oxide to increase its ability to absorb non-ultraviolet light. Coating with quantum dots, as mentioned above, is another improvement applied for generating electrons. It seems that nano solar cells are not going anywhere, in fact, they’re slowing but surely getting better.

As with these and other solar cell personalities, homeowners have got some waiting to do before the technology is available on a commercial level. The future can even see nanowires, which would produce wiry looking solar panels designed to transfer electrons within an efficient, albeit, strange, structure.