08-24-2015, 01:08 AM
Researchers from Rice University claim that they could make it easier for engineers to harness the power of light-capturing nanomaterials to boost the efficiency and reduce the costs of photovoltaic solar cells.
Can metallic nanoparticles lower the cost of solar cells? - Electronics Eetimes
University of Exeter researchers have discovered techniques for generating photovoltaic energy by mimicking the v-shaped posture adopted by Cabbage White butterflies to heat up flight muscles before take-off. The results could increase solar panel power by almost 50 per cent. By replicating the ‘wing-like’ structure, the power-to-weight ratio of the overall solar energy structure is increased 17-fold, making it more efficient.
Butterflies help boost solar panel power by 50 per cent - Electronics Eetimes
A new world record for the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity has been established. The multi-junction solar cell converts 46% of the solar light into electrical energy and was developed by Soitec and CEA-Leti, France, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Germany.
New world record for solar cell efficiency at 46% — Fraunhofer ISE
The startup hit an NREL-certified cell efficiency of 21.2 percent in 2014 with its back contact cell and looks to produce PV modules at 20 percent efficiency. As we reported previously, Solexel is seeking to partner in Malaysia to build the modules and cells. The firm has a megawatt-scale pilot line in Milpitas, which it intends to "copy-exact in Malaysia," according to CFO Mark Kerstens. Solexel is hoping to mass-produce 35-micron-thick, high-performance, low-cost monocrystalline solar cells using a lift-off technology based on a reusable template and a porous silicon substrate.
Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Menlo Park, CA) and Stanford University have developed a manufacturing technique that could double the electricity output of inexpensive solar cells by using a microscopic rake when applying light-harvesting polymers.
Micro rake doubles efficiency of polymer solar cells - Electronics Eetimes