Source: University of Cambridge Summary: Physicists have successfully employed a powerful technique for studying electrons generated through singlet fission, a process which it is believed will be key to more efficient solar energy production in years to come. Electron spin. Spin, an intrinsic property of electrons, is related to the dynamics of electrons excited as […]
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Source: Virginia Tech Summary: A team of engineers and chemists is producing flexible solar panels that can become part of window shades or wallpaper that will capture light from the sun as well as light from sources inside buildings. Post-doctoral researcher Congcong Wu, who is working in the lab of Shashank Priya, the Robert E. […]
Source: Iowa State University Summary: An American researcher is working on four projects that will help develop a better, smarter power grid. They’re looking for ways to modernize the distribution system that brings power to our homes and offices. They’re out to make a more reliable power grid for all of us. They want to […]
Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Summary: A revolutionary, light-activated semiconductor nanocomposite material has been created that can be used in a variety of applications, including microscopic actuators and grippers for surgical robots, light-powered micro-mirrors for optical telecommunications systems, and more efficient solar cells and photodetectors. A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a […]
Source: University of Texas at Austin Summary: Homes with solar panels do not require on-site storage to reap the biggest economic and environmental benefits of solar energy, according to research. In fact, storing solar energy for nighttime use actually increases both energy consumption and emissions compared with sending excess solar energy directly to the utility […]
This is the experimental polaron solar cell in the lab. Credit: Dirk Raiser, MPIbC/DESY An interdisciplinary team of researchers has laid the foundations for an entirely new type of photovoltaic cell. In this new method, infrared radiation is converted into electrical energy using a different mechanism from that found in conventional solar cells. The mechanism […]
Source: Case Western Reserve University Summary: Researchers have directly shown that electrons generated when light strikes a well-oriented perovskite film are unrestricted by grain boundaries and travel long distances without deteriorating. Identification of this property, which is key to efficiently convert sunlight into electricity, could lead to more efficient solar panels. This is a schematic […]
Source: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University – OIST Summary: While solar cell technology is currently being used by many industrial and government entities, it remains prohibitively expensive to many individuals who would like to utilize it. There is a need for cheaper, more efficient solar cells than the traditional silicon solar cells […]
Source: University of New South Wales Summary: They’re flexible, cheap to produce and simple to make — which is why perovskites are the hottest new material in solar cell design. And now, engineers in Australia have smashed the trendy new compound’s world efficiency record. They’re flexible, cheap to produce and simple to make — which […]
Source: University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering Summary: Researchers are bringing the dream of windows that can efficiently collect solar energy one step closer to reality thanks to high tech silicon nanoparticles. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Milano-Bicocca are bringing the dream of windows that can efficiently collect solar […]