Solar Cells Have Personality, Too

With so much research being done on solar cells, you can’t help but wonder how they all differ. Solar cells, as complex as they are, have their own distinct personalities. Here are four examples of the different ways solar cells can look and behave.

Hairy

These solar cells are looking to boast a new do. Researchers at McMaster University plan to make hairy solar panels available in the next five years. The strange texture of the new panels will be due to photovoltaic material storage in carbon-nanowires. The nanowires are 10 to 100 nanometers wide and up to five microns long. Because of their length, they absorb sunlight well while their width permits electrons to move freely. The result? The panels could match and even exceed silicon efficiency. In five years, the goal is for 20 percent conversion, but researchers have long-range plans set for an ambitious 40 percent.

Thin

Flexible and lightweight, organic solar cells san be laid on to thin films, which can be manufactured quickly. In fact, the Fraunhofer Institute plans to do just that and will present their goals this month at Nano Tech 2008. Because they still aren’t very efficient, organic, thin film solar panels won’t be seen on rooftops anytime soon. Instead, these panels are intended for use in musical devices, computers, and smaller electronics.

Dyed

Soon, these solar cells may be as colorful as they sound. When organic dyes are combined with nanoparticles on a wafer thin film, they can convert sunlight into electricity. The film can even be sandwiched between two glass panes decorated in a myriad of ways to create colorful or printed solar panels. The new technology can potentially be placed on windows, providing a dual function as a decorative solar screen.

Plastic

When solar cells are embedded in flexible plastic embedded with nanorods, the possibilities are endless. In addition to potentially being able to spray or paint solar cells on clothing or numerous other materials, the cost for the technology would be far lower than silicon. However, plastic solar cells, like thin films, still fall behind in efficiency level. In 2005, they reached 6 percent efficiency, far behind silicon, which can reach 20 percent.

Posted on February 14th in Solar Products by Renee.