Scientists experimenting with new technologies, create a solar battery size in just a few millimeters (photo from physorg.com).
Scientists experimenting with new technologies, create a solar battery size in just a few millimeters.
The British company Quantasol has created experimental solar battery, which showed a record efficiency for Unijunction photovoltaic cells.
Development is represented at a new generation of solar cells – A Quantum of Sol, held from June 30 to July 4 in London.
Efficiency of the new cells was 28.3% (with coverage concentrated light brightness is 500 times higher than normal solar flux). This achievement is recorded by independent experts from german Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (Fraunhofer ISE).
Quantasol was established in 2007 as a subsidiary company of Imperial College London (Imperial College London) scientists engaged in research in the field of nanomaterials. The current exhibition – a report on the results of two years of labor.
The exhibition A Quantum of Sol presented their products, several companies and research groups working on the application of nanotechnology in solar energy. Record Unijunction battery from Quantasol is shown in this picture. The new panel – is a miniature black square in the center of integrated circuits.
The exhibition A Quantum of Sol presented their products, several companies and research groups working on the application of nanotechnology in solar energy. Record Unijunction battery from Quantasol is shown in this picture. The new panel - is a miniature black square in the center of integrated circuits (photo Quantasol).
28,3 – not very impressive figure against the backdrop of the best multiperehodnyh solar cells (in which efficiency is close to 41%), but much better than the classic and most common current silicon panels (10-20%).
The new solar panel is designed based on the so-called quantum wells (quantum well) – nanostructures are configured so that with high efficiency to convert the current world with a certain wavelength.
In particular, the record battery Quantasol is based on gallium arsenide, with the addition of the army of nanometer particles of gallium indium arsenide (they form the quantum wells). Varying the parameters of the latter allows you to adjust the peak efficiency of the converter at the desired frequency.
Batteries based on gallium arsenide noticeably more expensive than silicon competitors – explain the physics – but they are much better than working in the “overload” the concentrated light than silicon overheated. And because the new panel can be used in systems with powerful concentrators based on lenses or mirrors, in which the area of collection of rays in the tens or hundreds of times greater than the area most of the solar battery. And this – the path to the cheapening of the whole system (photo from summerscience.org.uk).
Batteries based on gallium arsenide noticeably more expensive than silicon competitors - explain the physics - but they are much better than working in the "overload" the concentrated light than silicon overheated. And because the new panel can be used in systems with powerful concentrators based on lenses or mirrors, in which the area of collection of rays in the tens or hundreds of times greater than the area most of the solar battery. And this - the path to the cheapening of the whole system (photo from summerscience.org.uk).
Why do it? Only in space for solar panels drops the same light, argue experts Quantasol. In real conditions on the ground it has a somewhat different range depending on the location of the panel: flux changes as the transition from equatorial regions to high latitudes. Yes, and the dominant in some areas the weather makes its own adjustments. Stratum of the atmosphere – a filter that changes the picture of falling to the ground beams.
To get the best from them energy, but not until noon, but at other times of the day, as well – on different days of the week, the battery must be adapted to the most efficient absorption of a number of specific frequencies. This can be achieved during the production of panels.
Now Quantasol intends to build using all the same quantum wells and cells, in order to beat the absolute record in converting sunlight. Such batteries Britons expect to submit in early 2010. According to scientists, efficiency of photovoltaic cells can be increased by 3-4%.
The company claims that it has developed the technology of production of batteries with the quantum wells will soon reduce the cost of this type of solar cells, so that the costs per watt power output and for each kilowatt hour of energy produced (with the use of concentrators) they can approach the silicon panels.