Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building » silicon solar cell http://inhabitat.com Green design & eco innovation for a better world Sun, 19 May 2013 17:05:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc MIT Team Develops All-Carbon Solar Cell That Generates Energy from Infra-Red Light! http://inhabitat.com/mit-team-develops-all-carbon-solar-cell-that-generates-energy-from-infra-red-light/ http://inhabitat.com/mit-team-develops-all-carbon-solar-cell-that-generates-energy-from-infra-red-light/#comments Sun, 24 Jun 2012 06:04:14 +0000 Timon Singh http://inhabitat.com/?p=402797
Currently 40% of the solar energy that reaches Earth lies in the near-infra-red region of the spectrum, and while most photovoltaic devices are unable to harness this energy, a team at MIT has created an all-carbon solar cell that absorbs this infra-red heat]]> solar energy, solar power, pv cells, solar cells, infrared energy, carbon solar cell, MIT, silicon solar cell, carbon nanotubes. solar cell efficiency, infra-red energy

Currently 40% of the solar energy that reaches Earth lies in the near-infra-red region of the spectrum, and while most photovoltaic devices are unable to harness this energy, a team at MIT has created an all-carbon solar cell that absorbs this infra-red heat radiation.  The team believe that their all-carbon solar cell will lead to the development of combination solar cells, that use both traditional silicon-based cells and the new all-carbon cells to generate even more energy!

solar energy, solar power, pv cells, solar cells, infrared energy, carbon solar cell, MIT, silicon solar cell, carbon nanotubes. solar cell efficiency, infra-red energy solar energy, solar power, pv cells, solar cells, infrared energy, carbon solar cell, MIT, silicon solar cell, carbon nanotubes. solar cell efficiency, infra-red energy solar energy, solar power, pv cells, solar cells, infrared energy, carbon solar cell, MIT, silicon solar cell, carbon nanotubes. solar cell efficiency, infra-red energy


Read the rest of MIT Team Develops All-Carbon Solar Cell That Generates Energy from Infra-Red Light!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: , , , , , , , , ,

]]> http://inhabitat.com/mit-team-develops-all-carbon-solar-cell-that-generates-energy-from-infra-red-light/feed/ 0 MIT Develops ‘Inverted Nanopyramid’ Solar Surface That Cuts Silicon Use by 90% in Photovoltaic Cells http://inhabitat.com/mit-develops-inverted-nanopyramid-solar-surface-that-cuts-silicon-use-by-90-in-photovoltaic-cells/ http://inhabitat.com/mit-develops-inverted-nanopyramid-solar-surface-that-cuts-silicon-use-by-90-in-photovoltaic-cells/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:26:57 +0000 Timon Singh http://inhabitat.com/?p=399210
A team of researchers at MIT has developed a new type of textured solar surface that could bring down the cost of photovoltaic technology by reducing the thickness of silicon used by more than 90% while still maintaining high efficiency. To create the surface]]> nano letters, solar power, solar energy, silicon solar cell, silicon, MIT, solar technology

A team of researchers at MIT has developed a new type of textured solar surface that could bring down the cost of photovoltaic technology by reducing the thickness of silicon used by more than 90% while still maintaining high efficiency. To create the surface MIT modified a silicon sheet with a pattern of tiny inverted pyramids. These indentations, each less than a millionth of a meter across, are able to trap light rays just as effectively as solid silicon surfaces – which are 30 times thicker.

nano letters, solar power, solar energy, silicon solar cell, silicon, MIT, solar technology nano letters, solar power, solar energy, silicon solar cell, silicon, MIT, solar technology nano letters, solar power, solar energy, silicon solar cell, silicon, MIT, solar technology


Read the rest of MIT Develops ‘Inverted Nanopyramid’ Solar Surface That Cuts Silicon Use by 90% in Photovoltaic Cells

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: , , , , , ,

]]> http://inhabitat.com/mit-develops-inverted-nanopyramid-solar-surface-that-cuts-silicon-use-by-90-in-photovoltaic-cells/feed/ 1 Start-Up Makes Solar Cells Cheap Enough to Compete with Fossil Fuels http://inhabitat.com/start-up-makes-solar-cells-cheap-enough-to-compete-with-fossil-fuels/ http://inhabitat.com/start-up-makes-solar-cells-cheap-enough-to-compete-with-fossil-fuels/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:27 +0000 Sarah Parsons http://www.inhabitat.com/?p=93782
The most efficient solar tech on the market today is the silicon solar cell. There's just one drawback--implementing the tech costs up to $4 per watt, almost four times the cost of fossil fuel-derived electricity. Luckily, an innovative new production process]]> silicon solar cell, 1366 Technologies, ARPA-E, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, silica, cheap silicon solar cells, photovoltaics, solar power
The most efficient solar tech on the market today is the silicon solar cell. There’s just one drawback–implementing the tech costs up to $4 per watt, almost four times the cost of fossil fuel-derived electricity. Luckily, an innovative new production process could completely revolutionize the solar industry. 1366 Technologies says it can reduce silicon cell production costs by as much as 80 percent, finally decreasing the cost of solar to the point where it can compete with fossil fuel-based electricity! If the company can deliver on its claims, America may see widespread adoption of solar technology in the next few years. silicon solar cell, 1366 Technologies, ARPA-E, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, silica, cheap silicon solar cells, photovoltaics, solar power silicon solar cell, 1366 Technologies, ARPA-E, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, silica, cheap silicon solar cells, photovoltaics, solar power


Read the rest of Start-Up Makes Solar Cells Cheap Enough to Compete with Fossil Fuels

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: , , , , , , ,

]]> http://inhabitat.com/start-up-makes-solar-cells-cheap-enough-to-compete-with-fossil-fuels/feed/ 2