New hybrid material dramatically improves solar technology
Today's solar cell materials are sensitive to only a limited range of frequencies, they can only capture a small fraction of the energy contained in sunlight.
The new hybrid material - an electrically conductive plastic combined with metals including molybdenum and titanium - is the first that is sensitive to all the colours in the rainbow, allowing it to absorb ALL the energy contained in visible light at once.
Not only is the hybrid material more sensitive than normal solar panels, it also generates much more charge (more free electrons) than the researchers were expecting..."
The Future is Bright for Solar Technology
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- EddieStarr
- added this
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I've long known of a roofing material that produces electricity and is, in fact, hooked up to the homes meter & area power grid. This is an idea of obvious value and one we should be persuing vigorously.
Thanks Ohio State. You've built a better mousetrap. Your discovery takes a valuable step towards this country powering itself. I like the idea of houses that are self-sufficient for electricity.
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- cabinettags
- 1 year ago
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Plastic requires fossil fuels... I hope they come up with some other median! Keep trying Ohio State!
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Better be damn good performance if it has to be made with Titanium... that's an expensive wasteful process to make and I bet it costs more to produce the materials to build the solar panel than the panel will recover in energy.
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i agree, no plastic, try again Ohio unviersity, i give you an C-
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- metalcookiesxy70
- 1 year ago
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If they can put this in a paint
Or film
Then they are on to something
Who cares about the plastic
That'll change with time
Some biomaterial that biodegrades in 500 years
Put in paint or a film for windows and you got a winner -
It's still not 100% efficient... it's misleading to say it absorbs ALL the light. I'd be surprised if it hit 40%.
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its another step in the right direction. considering there's barely any funding for solar research i'd say this is pretty freakin awesome!
good job ohio State
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2nd post..
We're missing a point here, I think, concerning the materials used to produce this improvement.
This is an article announcing a new discovery. The result of pointed research. The Ohio St. chemists were looking for a better energy yield and they found one.
Seems obvious to me that they've now proven a better yield can be obtained. This isn't the finished product, this is the breakthrough. Knowing it can be done will bring further research towards finding the best viable materials to use for public needs.
In other words I'm saying one step at a time; this being step 2. First they invented the panels, now they've improved it. I'd like to see the roof power the house below it. But even that goal may be shortsided. Who knows where the quest to improve these panels may lead?
I give Ohio St. an A+ for moving us in the right direction.
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- cabinettags
- 1 year ago
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