Community | August 12, 2008 | 14 comments

Foldable solar panels could be up to 80% efficient

source: http://gizmodo.com/351945/foldable-solar-panels-could-be-up-to-80-efficient

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stopnoise

http://gizmodo.com/351945/foldable-solar-panels-could-be-up-to-80-eff...

Researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory have designed a lightweight, foldable solar panel design which they predict will function at 80% efficiency (the best solar panel prototypes operate at about 40%). The researchers' secret is the implementation of nano-antennas, which have the ability to absorb not only light, but heat from the sun as well.
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    Community,   Green,   Culture,   Earth and Science
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    News,  Culture,  Green,  Earth and Science,  5 more
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    Stradius Correspondent Post, purplefox Correspondent Post
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14 comments // Foldable solar panels could be up to 80% efficient

  • MrBigShot21
  • onechance
  • 24French
    • 0
      24French  

    • Fabulous! At last, technology is seeing the light of day (another pun). The big electric and gas companies don't like this very much. Thwarting their profits (and suppression of alternative technology) is noble.

    • 4 years ago
  • goldenways
  • Neghie
  • stopnoise
    • 0
      stopnoise  
    • Neghie:

      Good Point Neghie. The main point of useful inventions it is not the invention itself but how it will be used to make it affordable to the common man and families around USA and the World for resolving our energy crisis. Right now this it is just information favoring the Capital Stock Markets.

    • 4 years ago
  • shroomfairy
  • petarro
    • 0
      petarro  

    • Hey, this is great, I do wonder at what this could be applied to (currently). Although, it is perhaps the best invention for the future of solar powered devices.

    • 4 years ago
  • Wetdog
  • petarro
  • Wetdog
    • 0
      Wetdog  
    • petarro:

      I was laughing at your pun.......(currently) a solar panel creates current....... oh well, never mind.

      You cann't use it "currently" because it isn't built yet.

      But if it ever does get built and it is affordable, it could be possible to use for all kinds of things.

      My laptop is wireless, I can take it anywhere and it has a rechargable battery---with one of those I could recharge my laptop without having to plug into the car battery or 120.

      Campers, boaters, hunters, all sorts of people on the go could use it to charge all kinds of things with rechargable batteries.

    • 4 years ago
  • oR2o
    • 0
      oR2o  

    • Imagine that 40% better technology and we didn't even have to entice them with a 300 Million dollar intensive!

    • 4 years ago
  • Wetdog
    • 0
      Wetdog  

    • That's a helluva jump in efficiency if it turns out to be credable.

      It's easy to make huge claims before it is built.

      It would be nice if it works, but then we have yet to hear what it will cost too.

    • 4 years ago
  • gentjim
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