Posted on 01/28/2005 5:47:41 AM PST by presidio9
Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that can turn the sun's power into electrical energy, even on a cloudy day.
The plastic material uses nanotechnology and contains the first solar cells able to harness the sun's invisible, infrared rays. The breakthrough has led theorists to predict that plastic solar cells could one day become five times more efficient than current solar cell technology.
Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogen-powered car painted with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity to continually recharge the car's battery.
The researchers envision that one day "solar farms" consisting of the plastic material could be rolled across deserts to generate enough clean energy to supply the entire planet's power needs.
"The sun that reaches the Earth's surface delivers 10,000 times more energy than we consume," said Ted Sargent, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Toronto. Sargent is one of the inventors of the new plastic material.
"If we could cover 0.1 percent of the Earth's surface with [very efficient] large-area solar cells," he said, "we could in principle replace all of our energy habits with a source of power which is clean and renewable."
Infrared Power
Plastic solar cells are not new. But existing materials are only able to harness the sun's visible light. While half of the sun's power lies in the visible spectrum, the other half lies in the infrared spectrum.
The new material is the first plastic composite that is able to harness the infrared portion.
"Everything that's warm gives off some heat. Even people and animals give off heat," Sargent said. "So there actually is some power remaining in the infrared [spectrum], even when it appears to us to be dark outside."
The researchers combined specially designed nano particles called quantum dots with a polymer to make the plastic that can detect energy in the infrared.
With further advances, the new plastic "could allow up to 30 percent of the sun's radiant energy to be harnessed, compared to 6 percent in today's best plastic solar cells," said Peter Peumans, a Stanford University electrical engineering professor, who studied the work.
Electrical Sweaters
The new material could make technology truly wireless.
"We have this expectation that we don't have to plug into a phone jack anymore to talk on the phone, but we're resigned to the fact that we have to plug into an electrical outlet to recharge the batteries," Sargent said. "That's only communications wireless, not power wireless."
He said the plastic coating could be woven into a shirt or sweater and used to charge an item like a cell phone.
"A sweater is already absorbing all sorts of light both in the infrared and the visible," said Sargent. "Instead of just turning that into heat, as it currently does, imagine if it were to turn that into electricity."
Other possibilities include energy-saving plastic sheeting that could be unfurled onto a rooftop to supply heating needs, or solar cell window coating that could let in enough infrared light to power home appliances.
Cost-Effectiveness
Ultimately, a large amount of the sun's energy could be harnessed through "solar farms" and used to power all our energy needs, the researchers predict.
"This could potentially displace other sources of electrical production that produce greenhouse gases, such as coal," Sargent said.
In Japan, the world's largest solar-power market, the government expects that 50 percent of residential power supply will come from solar power by 2030, up from a fraction of a percent today.
The biggest hurdle facing solar power is cost-effectiveness.
At a current cost of 25 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, solar power is significantly more expensive than conventional electrical power for residences. Average U.S. residential power prices are less than ten cents per kilowatt-hour, according to experts.
But that could change with the new material.
"Flexible, roller-processed solar cells have the potential to turn the sun's power into a clean, green, convenient source of energy," said John Wolfe, a nanotechnology venture capital investor at Lux Capital in New York City.
Hard to believe Canada doesn't have electric cooperatives.
Hmm...if I sprayed my frying pan with it...
Silicon solar cell prices bottomed out. The polymer cell technology has changed the game completely, especially for large panels that could be made as a single unit in a mold instead of a mosaic of smaller cells.
Spray on and heat powered?.
How about a underarm deodorant than can recharge your cell phone while keeping you dry and fresh all day?
Yes but what is energy independence worth to a homeowner subject to shocks in terms of foriegn and domestic energy price jumps. To spend a couple of thousand bucks for a low maintenance energy production system that may not pay for itself for many years may seem foolish, but if you have energy when others don't due to price hikes, wars or natural disasters, the potential costs are insignificant compared to the freedom and flexibility such a system gives a home-owner!
If they want to argue efficiency, then they must compare their best to the industries current best. And the current state of the art is the poly-crystalline PV cells which is 2.5x more efficient than the numbers they offered.
--Boot Hill
Nope, the current crop of products using that technology cost more, are less efficient and have a shorter lifetime than current poly-crystalline PV technology.
As for the newer version of the polymer technology from the thread article...
Ping me if they ever begin shipping product!
--Boot Hill
http://www.dvc.edu/schedule/record_detailSP05.asp?keySection=8184Spring2005AlternateEnergyTechnologies
| Catalog Course Description | ||
| AET-130 Photovoltaic Systems Design and Installation | ||
| 2 Units | SC | May Be Repeated Once |
| 2 hours Lecture / 1 hour Laboratory per Week | ||
| This course will show students how to do solar site evaluations, electrical load calculations, solar system size calculations, and installation techniques. This course will help students design and install their own solar system and/or obtain skills for employment. CSU | ||
How much does one get paid to know stuff that advanced? ;)
Let me know when I can coat my house in this stuff so I can get off the power grid. Thanks.
Actually, your figure won't work if Dr. Alvin Marks' Lumeloid (solar cell on a roll) becomes a reality. Lumeloid, a photovoltaic film, has a theoretical conversion efficiency of 72-84% and can cost as little as $1/m2. The table you cited only used a conversion efficiency of 12% (88% cell converison loss). Even if one were to assume a sold frame will increase Lumeloid's cost to $10/sq meter; the payback ratio will definitely be positive within the first year alone even if one prices it at only 3 or 4 cents/kWh
Here are my figures for an equatorial site:
Solar Intensity above the Atmosphere 1,370 W/m2
Loss of energy from passing through the atmosphere
Absorbed by atmosphere (20%) 274.0
Scattered (6%) 82.2
Reflected back into space by clouds (20%) 274.0
Reflected back into space by earth’s surface (4%) 54.8
Total loss (50%) 685.0
Remaining insolation hitting the earth’s surface (50%) 685.0
Insolation for solar power purposes (54%) 739.8
P.S. I did a Project Proposal for Lumeloid but for a 1,5 and 20 sq km solar power plant located in Yuma (32.67 degrees) latitude. My studies have shown a Lumeloid power plant of 1 sq km in Yuma can break even within two years even if selling the power to utilities for only 2 cents/kWh.
Its worth nothing to the homeowner, but having access to the lowest cost energy is worth plenty.
--Boot Hill
My AC is almost free from geothermal wells.
Lumeloid is made from un-obtainium. My table is wholly insufficient to predict the performance or economics of such a non-product.
We don't live on the equator.
--Boot Hill
I always have heard that the life of a solar panel is only like 10 years with less efficiency each year. Very expensive in the long run with maintenance.
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