Device could coat windows, smartphone screens with energy-harvesting material
Nearly doubling the efficiency of a breakthrough photovoltaic cell they created last year, UCLA researchers have developed a two-layer, see-through solar film that could be placed on windows, sunroofs, smartphone displays and other surfaces to harvest energy from the sun.
The new device is composed of two thin polymer solar cells that collect sunlight and convert it to power. It’s more efficient than previous devices, the researchers say, because its two cells absorb more light than single-layer solar devices, because it uses light from a wider portion of the solar spectrum, and because it incorporates a layer of novel materials between the two cells to reduce energy loss.
While a tandem-structure transparent organic photovoltaic (TOPV) device developed at UCLA in 2012 converts about 4 percent of the energy it receives from the sun into electric power (its “conversion rate”), the new tandem device — which uses a combination of transparent and semi-transparent cells — achieves a conversion rate of 7.3 percent.
Researchers led by Yang Yang, the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas, Jr., Professor of Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, said the new cells could serve as a power-generating layer on windows and smartphone displays without compromising users’ ability to see through the surface. The cells can be produced so that they appear light gray, green or brown, and so can blend with the color and design features of buildings and surfaces.
The research was published online July 26 by Energy & Environmental Science, a Royal Society of Chemistry journal, and it will appear later in a published edition of the journal.
“Using two solar cells with the new interfacial materials in between produces close to two times the energy we originally observed,” said Yang, who is also director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. “We anticipate this device will offer new directions for solar cells, including the creation of solar windows on homes and office buildings.”
The tandem polymer solar cells are made of a photoactive plastic. A single-cell device absorbs only about 40 percent of the infrared light that passes through. The tandem device — which includes a cell composed of a new infrared-sensitive polymer developed by UCLA researchers — absorbs up to 80 percent of infrared light plus a small amount of visible light.
Chun-Chao Chen, a graduate student in the UCLA materials science and engineering department who is the paper’s primary author, said using transparent and semi-transparent cells together increases the device’s efficiency, and that the materials were processed at low temperatures, making them relatively easy to manufacture.
The Latest Bing News on:
Solar cell
- Missed the aurora borealis last night? The solar rays may be visible again in Washingtonon May 11, 2024 at 3:54 pm
Anyone who missed Friday’s geomagnetic storm that made the aurora borealis visible across the sky in Puget Sound could get another chance tonight.
- Will northern lights, solar storms cause cellphone, power outages? Maybe. What to knowon May 10, 2024 at 10:56 am
In addition to possibly bringing the northern lights to Ohio, a severe geomagnetic storm might knock out cellphones and the power grid. What to know.
- Scientists make advancements with groundbreaking binary organic solar cell technology: 'Highly efficient and stable'on May 10, 2024 at 3:15 am
The scientists are improving the technology while also making the cells easier to place. Scientists make advancements with groundbreaking binary organic solar cell technology: 'Highly efficient and ...
- Longi announces 27.30% efficiency for heterojunction back contact solar cellon May 9, 2024 at 10:07 am
The Chinese module manufacturer said the new efficiency record was confirmed by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH).
- Harnessing Sunlight Like Never Before: Hemispherical Solar Cells Unleash Unmatched Absorptionon May 9, 2024 at 4:17 am
New research suggests redesigning organic solar cells with a hemispherical shell structure to provide broader angular coverage, which is particularly beneficial for devices that need adaptable light ...
- New doping strategy increases lead-free perovskite solar cell efficiencyon May 9, 2024 at 12:00 am
An international research group has developed a solar cell based on a lead-free perovskite material known as Cs2AgBiBr6. The cell's absorber was doped with trans-polyacetylene, which reportedly helped ...
- A low-energy process for high-performance solar cells could simplify the manufacturing processon May 8, 2024 at 7:39 am
Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with ...
- LONGi reaches 27.3% efficiency on HJT solar cells in labon May 8, 2024 at 5:11 am
LONGi has broken another world-record for silicon solar cell efficiency. As certified by Germany's Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH), new ...
- Longi Claims Another Record for Most Powerful Silicon Solar Cellon May 7, 2024 at 11:54 pm
Longi Green Energy Technology Co. announced one of its solar cells has set a new record for converting sunlight into the most power, a key technological benchmark for the industry.
- Low-energy process for high-performance solar cellson May 7, 2024 at 3:50 pm
Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Solar cell
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar cell” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Energy-harvesting material
- Purdue, Wabash National collaborate on composite trailer that recaptures its own energyon May 8, 2024 at 12:18 pm
An experimental trailer that harvests its own electricity is anticipated to make trailers more sustainable and energy-efficient.
- Energy Harvesting Market Projected to Reach USD 1950 Million by 2033, with a 7.5% CAGR Forecaston May 8, 2024 at 1:31 am
The global energy harvesting market is estimated to attain a valuation of USD 940.7 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 1950 million by 2033, trailing a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast ...
- 19 - Resource Constrained Scheduling (Energy Harvesting Communication)on May 6, 2024 at 4:59 pm
where the amount of energy arriving at each time slot is unpredictable. This scenario also models scheduling problems on factory floors where the availability time of, say, raw materials or multiple ...
- The Evolution Of Solar Energy: How Solar Panels Have Changed Over The Yearson May 5, 2024 at 4:30 am
The evolution of solar is a long story that hasn't come close to finishing. Here's how solar panels have changed and evolved over the years.
- Exploiting disorder to harvest heat energy: The potentialities of 2D magnets for thermoelectric applicationson April 30, 2024 at 9:20 am
Thermoelectric systems are a green and sustainable way to harvest energy from any form of heat that otherwise would be wasted. At the core of this energy conversion process is the so-called Seebeck ...
- Bacteria 'nanowires' could help develop green electronicson April 29, 2024 at 7:30 am
Engineered protein filaments originally produced by bacteria have been modified by scientists to conduct electricity. In a study published recently in the journal Small, researchers revealed that ...
- Hurricanes to be turned into power plants: new renewable energy discoveredon April 29, 2024 at 6:30 am
A new type of energy has been discovered: that´s how we will turn hurricans into power plants to get a renewable source in our country ...
- What’s that?…A fuel cell that harvests energy from…dirt?on April 26, 2024 at 7:10 am
A soil microbial fuel cell where microbes in dirt could power applications which are literally “in the field”.
- Devices for energy harvesting articles from across Nature Portfolioon April 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
These solar cells can be integrated into a drone to enable energy-autonomous flight ... alcohol-sodium alginate hydrogel as active material. Demonstration of high performance, upscaling and ...
- Silicon Labs Streamlines Energy Harvesting Product Development for Battery-Free IoTon April 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Silicon Labs' most energy-efficient Wireless SoC to date with energy harvesting-ready capabilities AUSTIN, Texas, April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in secure ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Energy-harvesting material
[google_news title=”” keyword=”energy-harvesting material” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]