Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced Wednesday that they have been able to confirm a new high-efficiency solar cell design that utilizes nearly the entire solar spectrum.
Translation: They figured out a way to make solar panels generate electricity in the dark.
In earlier trials, the researchers used different alloys that achieved full spectrum responses but involved very high production costs. The advantage of gallium arsenide nitride is that it is very similar to a conventional semiconductor, gallium arsenide, and it can be produced with a commonly used fabrication method involving chemical vapor deposition.
The Lawrence Berkeley breakthrough represents just one path to increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of solar cells. Over at Ohio State University, a full spectrum solar cell is also under development, and Stanford is pursuing a new technology that cuts around the problem of solar cell efficiency loss due to high temperatureIn the meantime, you could just turn any metal surface into solar panels with photovoltaic spray paint.
Electric cars are looking cooler than their gas guzzling counterparts these days.
This electric Peugeot EX1 concept is extremely real and extremely awesome. It’s already broken several world records for acceleration from a standing start and it just LOOKS bad ass.
“The electric motor is a potential source of new driving sensations thanks to its exceptional acceleration capabilities, but also because it is silent in operation and makes the car very easy to drive (no need for a gearbox). On the EX1 concept car, two electric motors are used, one on each axle, each with a peak output of 125 kW (250 kW / 340 bhp in total), and an immediately available constant maximum torque of 240 Nm at the front and rear.”
Click the link below for a ton more photos.
The Wind for Schools project of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is churning, having installed 42 Southwest Windpower SkyStream 3.7 turbines so far, with a goal of five new turbines each year for the 11 states already part of the program. Eventually, 35 states are expected to participate. That’s enough critical mass, say the researchers, for the idea to catch fire, and for states and school districts to take on the installations themselves. And when that happens, there will be such a groundswell of informed eagerness for wind energy among young people that the fear of shortages of skilled labor for the wind industry might subside. (via NREL: News Feature - Wind Turbines Whip Up Excitement, School Pride)
Nothing but a diagram that shows just how loud a wind turbine is.
via s3.amazonaws.com
why isn’t there any red-brown areas for ‘natural gas only’? … unless that’s the point, haha.
Reporting from Washington — The Obama Administration took new steps Friday toward fuel standards that would require cars to get 47 to 62 miles per gallon by the year 2025, a move that supports states with aggressive timetables for reducing auto emissions (via Fuel standards: EPA shooting for 62 mpg for cars by 2025 - latimes.com)
Wind power, one of the largest segments of the renewable energy market, will experience a sharp decline in growth this year. The slowdown comes as a surprise because the stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law 18 months ago, included a big boost for renewable forms of electricity in the form of $43 billion for energy projects. Last year, 10,000 megawatts of wind power were brought online in the United States — that’s enough to power nearly 300,000 homes. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates, that number will be 57 percent lower. It will be the first time in six years that the growth rate of the wind industry will actually decline. (via Wind Power Wanes With Fading Federal Incentives : NPR)
When it comes to producing solar power, efficiency is the key – efficiency of the panels, efficiency of the system’s collectors and, according to SkyFuel, efficiency of the solar concentrator technology. Solar concentrators are increasingly being used in the industry, due to their efficiency in providing cheap solar energy. By harnessing the sun’s energy, a solar concentrator can provide the necessary heat for dozens of homes and thus save electricity. As such, the systems are more efficient than regular solar generators as captured power is not just converted into electricity. But according to SkyFuel, a U.S.-based company, their SkyTrough solar concentrator technology has a thermal efficiency of 350˚C (662 ˚F), which exceeds the standard by 73%. More than just a shallow claim, their statement has been confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which has certified the SkyTrough solar concentrator technology to have the highest efficiency in its class!
About
I am a graduate student at UCLA in the aerospace engineering program, researching wind turbine design. In my free time, I also enjoy following politics. Here I'll keep track of the times energy technologies get mixed up with government policies.
Search