Collaborate Disseminate
A simple home test for breast cancer and a solar energy-harvesting window made of recycled materials are the big winners of this year’s James Dyson Awards. The annual competition encourages university students to develop innovative solutions to current… Continue reading Home cancer-screen kit and UV-harvesting windows win James Dyson Awards
Perovskite solar cells have gained a lot of attention in research circles recently owing to significant and relatively fast leaps in its efficiency, but the toxic lead they contain is something engineers would rather do without. There are alternatives … Continue reading Next-gen solar material excels at harvesting energy from indoor light
Windows are great for letting in light, but in summer months that comes with an unwanted side order of heat, causing many people to run the air conditioning non-stop. Now, researchers have developed windows that can change color automatically when heat… Continue reading Smart windows darken and become solar cells when heated
Researchers in Saudi Arabia have developed thin, organic solar cells with a few advantages over others of their type. The new solar cells are more efficient, made using more common elements, and can be inkjet-printed onto surfaces, making them light an… Continue reading Inkjet-printed ultrathin solar cells ditch rare minerals
Researchers at Aalto University have developed a photovoltaic device that has an external quantum efficiency of 132 percent. This impossible-sounding feat was achieved using nanostructured black silicon, and could represent a major breakthrough for solar cells and other photodetectors.
Tags: Solar Cell, Photovoltaic, Silicon, Aalto University, Energy, Solar Power, Efficiency, World’s Most Efficient, New Atlas Audio
Continue reading Black silicon photodetector hits record-breaking 132% efficiency
Perovskite and organic solar cells have proven promising alternatives to the widespread silicon-based devices, and now they’ve been tested in space for the first time. Not only did these solar cells perform well, but they’re much thinner and lighter th… Continue reading Perovskite and organic solar cells tested in space for first time
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways, some obvious and some less so. Now, scientists have quantified an effect that lies a few links down the chain, finding that solar panels in certain cities have seen a boost in output, du… Continue reading Pandemic pollution drop found to boost solar panel output
Engineers have developed a new type of hybrid solar energy converter, which uses energy from the Sun to create both electricity and steam. The device reportedly has high efficiency and runs at low cost, allowing industry to make use of a wider spectrum… Continue reading Hybrid solar converter harvests both sunlight and heat at 85% efficiency
Capturing energy from the Sun with solar panels is only half the story – that energy needs to be stored somewhere for later use. In the case of flow batteries, storage is relegated to vats of liquid. Now, an international team led by University of Wisc… Continue reading Solar flow battery efficiently stores renewable energy in liquid form
Traditional plastics are so poor at conducting electricity that they are often used to insulate against it instead, making it the shielding material of choice for things like wiring and circuit boards. But scientists have long hoped to flip the script … Continue reading Conductive plastic uses sandwiched materials for extra transparency