Flexo-Photovoltaic Effect Squeezes More Power Out of Solar Cells
Physicists at the University of Warwick have published new research in the Journal Science that could literally squeeze more power out of solar cells by…
Photovoltaics
Hybrid Perovskites Improve Solar Cell Efficiency
Photons with energy higher than the ‘band gap’ of the semiconductor absorbing them give rise to what are known as hot electrons. The extra energy…
Algae-Powered Fuel Cells Move a Step Closer to Reality
A new design of algae-powered fuel cells that is five times more efficient than existing plant and algal models, as well as being potentially more…
RIR-MAPLE Technique Opens New Possibilities for Light-Based Technologies
Materials scientists at Duke University have developed a method to create hybrid thin-film materials that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to make. The technique…
Researchers Develop Double-Pane Solar Windows That Generate Electricity
Using two types of “designer” quantum dots, researchers are creating double-pane solar windows that generate electricity with greater efficiency and create shading and insulation for…
New Technique Allows for Rapid Solar Cell Screening
The worldwide quest by researchers to find better, more efficient materials for tomorrow’s solar panels is usually slow and painstaking. Researchers typically must produce lab…
Guanidinium Helps Stabilizes Perovskite Solar Cells
Incorporating guanidinium into perovskite solar cells stabilizes their efficiency at 19% for 1000 hours under full-sunlight testing conditions. The study, carried out by EPFL, is…
‘Double-Glazed’ Solar Power Device Opens New Opportunities for Photovoltaics
Researchers from the University of Warwick have developed a new ‘double-glazing’ solar power device, which is unlike any existing solar panel and opens up fresh…
NREL Develops Switchable Photovoltaic Windows
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed thermochromic windows capable of converting sunlight into electricity at a high efficiency. The…
Black Butterfly Enhances Photovoltaic Light Absorption Up to 200 Percent
New research focuses on the wings of the black butterfly (Pachliopta aristolochiae), which are covered by micro- and nanostructured scales that harvest sunlight over a…
No More Blackouts? New Framework Guarantees the Stability of Microgrids
By installing capacitors, MIT engineers reveal a new method for guaranteeing the stability of any microgrid that runs on direct current. Today, more than 1.3…
Fossilized Diatoms Enhance Solar Power Technology
Researchers at Yale University demonstrate the use of fossilized diatoms (diatomaceous earth) to boost solar technology. Diatoms, a kind of algae that reproduces prodigiously, have…
Yale Engineers Develop New Colors for Solar Energy
Engineers from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Yale University have developed a solar cell that widens the choice of colors without decreasing…
MIT Engineers Control and Separate Fluids Using Visible Light
MIT engineers have developed a new system that uses light to control the way water moves over a surface. This advance may open the door…
Engineers Design a New Solar Cell That is More Efficient and Costs Less
Engineers from MIT and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology have developed a new solar cell that combines two different layers of sunlight-absorbing material…
Organic Photovoltaic Material Offers Great Promise for Solar Energy
Scientists at MIT believe modeling electron excitation in organic photovoltaic material could change the future of solar energy. The semi-conducting plastic is lightweight, flexible, relatively…
Light-Capturing Nanomaterials to Boost Efficiency of Photovoltaic Solar Cells
A new method to incorporate light-capturing nanomaterials into future solar-panel designs could make it easier for engineers to boost the efficiency and reduce the costs…
New Shortcut Simplifies the Production of Solar Cells
By using the top electrode as the catalyst that turns plain silicon into valuable black silicon, scientists from Rice University have developed a way to…
