Research team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible

This image shows a printed cell. Credit: UCF

Converting sunshine into electricity is not difficult, but doing so efficiently and on a large scale is one of the reasons why people still rely on the electric grid and not a national solar cell network.

But a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Central Florida in Orlando may be one step closer to tapping into the full potential of solar cells. The team found a way to create large sheets of nanotextured, silicon micro-cell arrays that hold the promise of making solar cells lightweight, more efficient, bendable and easy to mass produce.

The team used a light-trapping scheme based on a nanoimprinting technique where a polymeric stamp mechanically emboss the nano-scale pattern on to the solar cell without involving further complex lithographic steps. This approach has led to the flexibility researchers have been searching for, making the design ideal for mass manufacturing, said UCF assistant professor Debashis Chanda, lead researcher of the study.

The study’s findings are the subject of the November cover story of the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

Previously, scientists had suggested designs that showed greater absorption rates of sunlight, but how efficiently that sunlight was converted into electrical energy was unclear, Debashis said. This study demonstrates that the light-trapping scheme offers higher electrical efficiency in a lightweight, flexible module.

The team believes this technology could someday lead to solar-powered homes fueled by cells that are reliable and provide stored energy for hours without interruption.

The Latest on: Solar cells

Australian solar park to host crops as part of agrisolar program
on June 10, 2021 at 10:32 pm
Italy’s Enel will launch an experimental agrivoltaics program at its 34 MW Cohuna Solar Farm in the Australian state of Victoria to help formulate a “best practices” template for utility-scale solar ...
NextEra released first phase of solar panel
on June 10, 2021 at 9:09 pm
NextEra Energy Resources has announced its first phase of a solar panel it plans to build in Linn County. The company has not submitted plans to the Linn County Board of Supervisors as of Thursday.
Solar Panel Installers Birmingham Launches New Website
on June 10, 2021 at 5:55 pm
Solar Panel Installers Birmingham is one of the leading alternative energy resource companies in Birmingham, UK. The company has helped many customers over the years, individuals and businesses alike, ...
Amazon warehouse fire in Maryland ignited by solar panels: investigators
on June 10, 2021 at 11:39 am
Investigators have determined that a two-alarm fire at an Amazon warehouse in Maryland was ignited by solar panels on the roof.
Molecular coating enhances organic solar cells
on June 10, 2021 at 8:20 am
An electrode coating just one molecule thick can significantly enhance the performance of an organic photovoltaic cell, KAUST researchers have found. The coating outperforms the leading material ...
Bifacial Panels Key to Boosting Solar Energy Output
on June 10, 2021 at 8:07 am
A new study finds that the use of two existing technologies could allow solar panels to boost electricity output by 35%.
Size of Thin Film Solar Cell Equipment Market 2021-27 | Nanowin,Veeco,XsunX
on June 10, 2021 at 12:16 am
Latest research on Global Thin Film Solar Cell Equipment Market is currently developing at a faster rate due to the current modernization and people’s limitless needs. And this trend is predicted to ...
Dracula Technologies turns ambient light into energy with printed solar cells
on June 9, 2021 at 11:08 pm
Internet of Things devices are proliferating, making daily tasks more convenient for many people — but that comes at a cost. The United Nations expects the amount of e-waste created globally to reach ...
First Solar plans to build new solar-panel factory in Ohio
on June 9, 2021 at 6:49 pm
The company said it hopes to start construction in Lake Township, Ohio, near Toledo, in the first half of 2023, and reach full production by 2025.
First Solar to Build New Solar-Panel Factory in Ohio
on June 9, 2021 at 4:48 pm
The biggest American-owned solar-panel maker is making one of the largest bets on domestic solar manufacturing since China began dominating the industry a decade ago.

via Bing News

The Latest on: Advanced energy materials

Ethanol Consumption Market to Register Stunning Growth | Forecast 2021-2028 : Archer Daniels Midland, Advanced Bioenergy, Andersons
on June 10, 2021 at 10:51 pm
Leading Ethanol Consumption Market Players Included In The Report Are: Archer Daniels Midland, Advanced Bioenergy, Andersons, Pacific Ethanol, Poet, Valero, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Flint Hills ...
New family of atomic-thin electride materials discovered
on June 10, 2021 at 1:31 pm
An exploratory investigation into the behavior of materials with desirable electric properties has resulted in the discovery of a structural phase of two-dimensional (2D) materials. The new family of ...
Materials science and engineering team publishes research on sodium-ion batteries
on June 10, 2021 at 8:48 am
A team of researchers from Boise State’s Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies recently ...
The state of Global Energy in the Next 20 Years according to Akshay Singhal and Kartik Hajela from Log 9 Materials
on June 9, 2021 at 11:42 pm
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the CO2 released till the end of 2017 had raised the average surface temperature by ~1.1°C -- which can drastically affect the ...
Advanced Energy Storage Systems Market 2021 Top manufacturers Records, Size, Market Share & Trends Analysis 2021-2027 with Top Growth Companies
on June 9, 2021 at 12:26 am
In 2021 ,, “Advanced Energy Storage Systems Market“ Size, Status and Market Insights, Forecast to 2027 Market Analysis ...
Scientists develop integrated electrodes for high-energy-density flexible supercapacitors
on June 8, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Recently, a research team led by Professor ZHAO Bangchuan from the Institute of Solid Materials of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) synthesized 3D porous honeycomb-like CoN-Ni3N/N-C ...
ORNL names new Innovation Crossroads cohort of manufacturing, building and clean energy technology entrepreneurs
on June 7, 2021 at 5:34 am
Six science and technology innovators from across the United States will join the fifth cohort of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Innovation Crossroads program in June. As the Southeast’s only ...
Firma Advanced Carbon Materials Inc. Announces Ryan Johns and Randall Taylor to Lead Operations at Northstar Sustainable Energy Facility
on June 3, 2021 at 6:48 am
Firma Advanced Carbon Materials Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Firma Holdings Corp. is pleased to announce that Ryan Johns and Randall K. Taylor will lead the existing operations at the NorthStar ...
Advanced Energy Strengthens Leadership in RF Process Power Solutions with Acquisition of TEGAM
on June 2, 2021 at 3:00 am
Advanced Energy (Nasdaq: AEIS) – a global leader in highly engineered precision power conversion measurement and control solutions – today announced that ...
Firma Advanced Carbon Materials Inc. Announces Launch of Production at Northstar Sustainable Energy Facility
on May 28, 2021 at 5:45 am
Firma Advanced Carbon Materials Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Firma Holdings Corp. is pleased to announce that it has begun production at the NorthStar Sustainable Energy facility, a Kentucky ...