3-D Solar Cell can work underground!
To state the obvious, solar energy cannot be generated without exposure to sunlight. So it may be surprising to hear about a PV solar system that can work underground!
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a 3-D solar cell that is designed to capture solar energy with only the tip of an optical fiber exposed to UV light.
Borrowing technology from the telecommunications industry, the researchers applied zinc oxide nanostructures that were coated with dye-sensitized material to tiny, thin fibers (about 3 times the width of a human hair). Sunlight shining on the fiber generates electricity which is captured with a liquid electrolyte that surrounds the nanostructures.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new solar technology is the fact that it can be concealed! That’s right – instead of having to endure the aesthetic impact of bulky solar panels on rooftops, a PV solar system can be incorporated virtually invisibly. That knocks out one of the biggest hurdles to PV panel usage!
But what about efficiency? The 3-D solar cells are up to 6 times more efficient than ordinary solar cells within the same surface area. Scientists believe they can more than double the current efficiency of this technology, too.
And cost? Dye-sensitized solar cells are inexpensive to manufacture, flexible and mechanically robust, though they do have a lower conversion efficiency than that of silicon-based cells.
This is just the beginning for this exciting new technology. The more unique ways we can find to tap into solar energy, the better our chances of becoming fossil-fuel-free in the future!
Tags: 3d solar cell, photovoltaic solar energy system, PV solar system, underground solar energy
This 3D solution is known since July 2009:
http://sites.google.com/site/sunrydz/
Like so many technologies today today, they will be obsolete by the time they come to market. Our current photovoltaic systems will be a thing of the past. Can’t let that stop us though. Great post!