There has been a new development
in the solar industry that could make great advancement in producing large
amounts of solar energy. There has been a new class of transparent photovoltaic
cells has been developed that could make an ordinary window into a solar panel.
This is a great advancement because in the near future skyscrapers could be
transformed into giant solar collectors.
There have been previous attempts
at transparent solar cells, but have either failed to achieve high efficiency
or blocked too much light to be used in windows. The new solar cells are based
on organic molecules similar to dyes and pigments are designed to absorb only
the near-infrared spectrum and the ability to transform light into electricity
with a relative high efficiency. The current efficiency of cells are only about
2 percent, but doing some modifications could increase efficiency to 10
percent, Dr, Lunt said.
The biggest challenge in developing
an industrial application lays on if the new solar cells being able to last the
same about as regular windows. Vladimir Bulovic, a professor of electrical
engineering at M.I.T who collaborated in the development stated that the solar
cells would have to last at least 20 years. He also stated the problem of longevity was
not an extraordinarily difficult problem to overcome. The problem could be expected to fix within
less than a decade.
If the transparent cells are
proven to be made commercially able, the power they create could potentially
offset the energy use of large building. This advancement is not will not
supply ALL the energy needed to run a building, but would be enough for things
like lighting and powering everyday electronics. This is a great movement, but this will defiantly
not fix our energy crisis. The department of Energy provided funds for the research.
Isai Montes De Oca
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