New Kind of Solar Cell Opens the Door for Surpassing Efficiency Limit
In any conventional silicon-based solar cell, there is an absolute limit on overall efficiency, based partly on the fact that each photon of light can…
Solar Power
When and Where Advanced Photovoltaics Are Economic to Install
Which is a better deal: an established, off-the-shelf type of solar panel or a cutting-edge type that delivers more power for a given area but…
Using Solar Power and Nanoparticles to Make Saltwater Drinkable
Using solar energy and nanoparticles to make saltwater drinkable, researchers from Yale and Rice University have developed a system that could potentially be used off-grid…
Nanostructure Increases Solar-to-Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency by a Factor of Eleven
Polymeric carbon nitrides exhibit a catalytic effect in sunlight that can be used for the production of hydrogen from solar energy. However, the efficiency of…
Wind and Solar Power Could Generate Most But Not All of the Electricity in the USA
Wind and solar power could generate most but not all electricity in the United States, according to an analysis of 36 years of weather data…
The Diverse Causes Behind Frequency Fluctuations in Power Grids
Our power grid works at a frequency of 50 hertz – usually generated by turbines, for example in hydro- or coal power plants, which rotate…
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…
Benefits Outweigh Costs of ‘Hidden’ Emissions from Wind and Solar Power
A new study co-authored by Yale’s Edgar Hertwich finds that complete de-carbonization of the global power sector using wind and solar technologies would induce only…
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…
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…
Scientists Demonstrate Efficient, Light-Powered Production of Fuel via Artificial Photosynthesis
In a new study, Berkeley Lab scientists harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and alcohols at efficiencies far greater than…
Photosynthesis Design Principles Could Improve Solar Technology
Researchers from Yale University have identified natural design principles in photosynthesis that could improve energy efficiency in new solar technology. In photosynthesis, green plants use…
DMSO Treatment Could Transform Solar Cells, Boosts Efficiency
Researchers at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science have discovered a modification to perovskite solar cells, which could lead to a new generation…
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…
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…
MIT Energy Initiative Report Highlights the Future of Solar Energy
A new report by the MIT Energy Initiative assesses solar energy’s current and potential competitive position and identifies changes in U.S. government policies that could…
Colloidal Quantum Dots Allow Solar Cells to Be Sprayed on Products
Using miniscule light-sensitive materials known as colloidal quantum dots, scientists from the University of Toronto have developed new technique for spraying solar cells onto products….
World Record in Solar Efficiency, Over 40% of Sunlight Converted into Electricity
Researchers from the University of New South Wales have set world record in solar energy efficiency, converting over 40% of the sunlight hitting a solar…