Thin solar panel coating recruits infrared light for energy generation
They spend all day baking in the sun, but that doesn't mean solar panels capture all the light that hits them. Generally speaking, solar cells are capable of harnessing visible light for energy generation, while other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum go by unnoticed, including infrared. Much work is being done to bring others into the mix, including at Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology where scientists have developed a new film they say can be layered over the top of solar cells to boost their efficiency by as much as 25 percent.
One of the ways scientists have looked to increase the performance of solar panels is by supercharging them with special kinds of nanoparticles. By doping these tiny particles with dyes containing metal ions such as lanthanide, it is possible to equip them with the ability to make use of other types of light (such as infrared) and then have it converted into energy.
These are known as upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), and they form the basis of the breakthrough at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The team says there is currently room for improvement with this kind of tech, writing that because UCNPs have an excitation threshold that is "much higher" than what the infrared light can offer them, a lot of its energy continues to go to waste.
The team's solution was to develop a polymer-based array, made of nanocrystals mixed with a series of microlenses, to shape the way the light comes in and boost the performance of the UCNPs.
“The ability of the microlenses to concentrate light allows the nanoparticles to convert the weak infrared light radiation to visible light useful for solar cells,” says Hans Ågren, professor in theoretical chemistry and leader of the research team.
Applied as a thin film over the top of a regular solar cell, this has the effect of spatially modulating the infrared light, concentrating it in just the right way to greatly improve the efficiency of the energy conversion.
“We have achieved a 10 percent increase in efficiency without yet optimizing the technology,” Ågren says. “With a little more work, we estimate that a 20 to 25 percent increase in efficiency could be achieved.”
In the meantime, the team has patented the technology and published its research in the journal Nanoscale.
Source: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
(责任编辑:资讯)
-
NYT Strands hints, answers for August 29
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevat ...[详细] -
U.S. joins search for missing Argentine Navy submarine.
On Saturday, a U.S. plane and British ship have joined the hunt for a missing Argentine Navy submari ...[详细] -
他是一名85后,也是同学朋友眼中的“牛人”……他的“牛”,牛在敢闯敢干、辞职创业,牛在他是个名副其实的“牛倌儿”。他与团队其余3名85后伙伴一道,在荥经县成立养牛专业合作社,返乡创业承包50余亩荒山薄 ...[详细]
-
Apple TV+ sucks you in with star power on 'The Morning Show': Review
The streaming wars have officially begun and Apple TV+ is here to fight.The tech giant's foray into ...[详细] -
24 of the Oldest Trees in the World
These trees have remained firmly rooted for centuries, in some cases millennia. The oldest among the ...[详细] -
UN council to go over North Korea's human rights
By Yi Whan-wooThe U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will go over North Korea's human rights situatio ...[详细] -
Tens of Thousands join Polish white supremacist march: “Europe must be white.”
Fascists and white supremacists descended on Warsaw Saturday to mark Poland’s independence day by ch ...[详细] -
This photo taken Thursday, shows a closed karaoke bar in western Seoul after dozens of people have t ...[详细]
-
Recently I had a friend over to whom I offered to audition my DIY PC speaker system. The first thing ...[详细]
-
Wilbur Ross lied about being a billionaire, Forbes says.
Joining John Kelly in the pantheon of Trump advisers who seemed surprisingly legit at first but are ...[详细]
13 Astronomical Clocks Connecting Time And Space
Woman accuses Sen. Al Franken of kissing and groping her without consent in 2006.
- When Are Next
- S. Korea's COVID
- Today in conservative media: Let's not forget that Roy Moore was a Democrat.
- Jack Dorsey trashes Facebook's Libra, say it's not even a cryptocurrency
- 14 Heists, Robberies, and Other Great Capers
- 市就业局赴绵参加大学生创新创业园区建设交流与创业项目对接活动
- U.S. joins search for missing Argentine Navy submarine.