|
|
|
|
|
10/02/2012
 Email to a friend
 Comment on this article
|
A new type of solar cell which could boost the efficiency of solar panels by more than 25% has been developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge.
 Solar panels work by absorbing energy from particles of light, called photons, which then generate electrons to create electricity. Traditional solar cells are only capable of capturing part of the light from the sun and much of the energy of the absorbed light, particularly of the blue photons, is lost as heat.
This inability to extract the full energy of all of the different colours of light at once means that traditional solar cells are incapable of converting more than 34% of the available sunlight into electrical power.
The Cambridge team, led by Professor Neil Greenham and Professor Sir Richard Friend, has developed a hybrid cell which absorbs red light and harnesses the extra energy of blue light to boost the electrical current.
Typically, a solar cell generates a single electron for each photon captured. However, by adding pentacene, an organic semiconductor, the researchers found that solar cells can generate two electrons for every photon from the blue light spectrum. This could enable the cells to capture 44% of the incoming solar energy.
Researcher Bruno Ehrler said: "Organic and hybrid solar cells have an advantage over current silicon based technology because they can be produced in large quantities at low cost by roll to roll printing. However, much of the cost of a solar power plant is in the land, labour, and installation hardware.
"As a result, even if organic solar panels are less expensive, we need to improve their efficiency to make them competitive. Otherwise, it'd be like buying a cheap painting, only to find out you need an expensive frame."
The research was funded by the EPSRC.
|
|
| |
Author
Laura Hopperton
|
| |
| |
|
| |
This material is protected by Findlay Media copyright 2012.
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.
|
| |
|
|
| |
To comment on news stories or blogs you need to complete our 60 second registration
process. Once completed this then allows you to download any and all white papers,
register for e-zines and access our detailed supplier directory for FREE.
If you are all ready a registered user then enter your e-mail address and login.
You will need to have logged in prior to entering your comments in the boxes provided.
|