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Renewable Energy News

MONDAY 02 JUNE, 2008 |

Solar Panels - world record breakthrough in efficiency

Physicist Bram Hoex and colleagues at Eindhoven University of Technology, together with the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, have developed a process that improves the energy produced by solar panels by six per cent (in relative terms), a new world record in solar cell efficiency.

By using an ultra-thin aluminium oxide layer at the front of the solar cell, Hoex was able to improve the cell’s conversion of sunlight into energy from 21.9 per cent to 23.2 per cent. The record breaking technology was showcased in the USA at a major solar power convention.

An improvement of more than 1 per cent (in absolute terms) may at first glance appear modest, but it can enable solar cell manufacturers to greatly increase the performance of their products.

The ultra-thin (about 30 nanometers) aluminium oxide film contains unprecedented high levels of built-in negative charges, preventing the significant energy losses that usually escape from the surface of solar cell arrays during the day.

It is one of the many innovations developing in the accelerating global solar module industry. A number of major solar cell manufacturers have already shown interest.

The breakthrough takes solar panel technology one step closer in the battle for truly viable and effective sustainable energy. It is hoped that in less than 10 years solar generated power will be as cheap to produce as fossil fuel energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diminishing the effects of global warming.

Applying the ultra-thin film is a low-cost process, meaning solar cell manufacturers can adapt their existing production methods to include it. This will be good news for consumers of solar power systems in the future, especially in developing nations as they struggle to meet the energy demands of growing populations.

Apple goes green with solar powered ipods

Apple has lodged a patent for revolutionary new solar technology that could soon see iPods, iPhones and some laptops powered by the sun.

The design involves inserting razor-fine silicon solar PV cells inside the device’s LCD screen and converting the light captured into electricity to charge the batteries. Although the surface area of these screens is relatively small, more solar energy could be captured by transforming the keypad interface into a LCD touchpad.

Small solar-powered personal devices have been around for some time. Many calculators and watches have tiny solar arrays that power the batteries and never need recharging. However iPods can use between 250,000 and 1 million times the energy needed to keep a digital watch running on time. Hence the need for a much more efficient and powerful solar cells.

There are still concerns over the use of solar energy in portable devices such as mobile phones and iPods, which are typically stored in pockets or purses and are not always exposed to sunlight. And although silicon solar cells do not need direct sunlight to work, they collect a lot less energy indoors or on a cloudy day.

The most efficient solar cells on the market convert the sun’s energy into electricity at about 20% efficiency. In an optimal use environment, say on a cloudless sunny day, an iPhone equipped with Apple’s potential new technology could generate around 1 watt of energy, not enough to solely power the device, but enough to significantly extend the life of the battery. Almost anything solar-powered would still need to have a battery to store the captured energy.

Scott Bourne, executive producer of the Apple iPhone Show on iTunes said he would not expect to see the implementation of solar powered Apple products for at least five years, but is excited by the prospect. “Cell phone battery power is always an issue for users who inevitably want longer-lasting power than they have,” he said.

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