New Solar Panel Technology in the Making
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Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU (university of Missouri) Chemical Engineering Department, is developing a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light. Today’s solar panels only collect 20 percent of available light. Prototypes could be produced within the next five years.
The device the team is developing — essentially a thin, moldable sheet of small antennas called nantenna — is designed to harvest industrial waste heat and convert it into usable electricity. Their ambition is to extend this concept to direct solar facing nantenna devices capable of collecting energy broadly from the near infrared to the optical regions of the solar spectrum.
The team, which is seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and private investors, also envisions an energy-harvesting device for existing industrial infrastructure, including solar farms and factories that generate waste heat.
Within five years, the research team believes they will have a product that complements conventional PV solar panels by capturing currently unused infrared energy. Because it’s a flexible film, Pinhero believes it could be incorporated into building materials and infrastructure.
The team envisions several commercial product spin-offs based on the core technology. These include improved contraband-identifying products for airports and the military, optical computing, and infrared line-of-sight telecommunications.
A study on the design and manufacturing process was published in the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering.
The device the team is developing — essentially a thin, moldable sheet of small antennas called nantenna — is designed to harvest industrial waste heat and convert it into usable electricity. Their ambition is to extend this concept to direct solar facing nantenna devices capable of collecting energy broadly from the near infrared to the optical regions of the solar spectrum.
The team, which is seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and private investors, also envisions an energy-harvesting device for existing industrial infrastructure, including solar farms and factories that generate waste heat.
Within five years, the research team believes they will have a product that complements conventional PV solar panels by capturing currently unused infrared energy. Because it’s a flexible film, Pinhero believes it could be incorporated into building materials and infrastructure.
The team envisions several commercial product spin-offs based on the core technology. These include improved contraband-identifying products for airports and the military, optical computing, and infrared line-of-sight telecommunications.
A study on the design and manufacturing process was published in the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering.
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