Discovery could lower cost and expand possibilities for building-integrated solar energy collection
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Milano-Bicocca are bringing the dream of windows that can efficiently collect solar energy one step closer to reality thanks to high tech silicon nanoparticles.
The researchers developed technology to embed the silicon nanoparticles into what they call efficient luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). These LSCs are the key element of windows that can efficiently collect solar energy. When light shines through the surface, the useful frequencies of light are trapped inside and concentrated to the edges where small solar cells can be put in place to capture the energy.
The research is published today in Nature Photonics, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Nature Publishing Group.
Windows that can collect solar energy, called photovoltaic windows, are the next frontier in renewable energy technologies, as they have the potential to largely increase the surface of buildings suitable for energy generation without impacting their aesthetics—a crucial aspect, especially in metropolitan areas. LSC-based photovoltaic windows do not require any bulky structure to be applied onto their surface and since the photovoltaic cells are hidden in the window frame, they blend invisibly into the built environment.
The idea of solar concentrators and solar cells integrated into building design has been around for decades, but this study included one key difference—silicon nanoparticles. Until recently, the best results had been achieved using relatively complex nanostructures based either on potentially toxic elements, such as cadmium or lead, or on rare substances like indium, which is already massively utilized for other technologies. Silicon is abundant in the environment and non-toxic. It also works more efficiently by absorbing light at different wavelengths than it emits. However, silicon in its conventional bulk form, does not emit light or luminesce.
“In our lab, we ‘trick’ nature by shrinking the dimension of silicon crystals to a few nanometers, that is about one ten-thousandths of the diameter of human hair,” said University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor Uwe Kortshagen, inventor of the process for creating silicon nanoparticles and one of the senior authors of the study. “At this size, silicon’s properties change and it becomes an efficient light emitter, with the important property not to re-absorb its own luminescence. This is the key feature that makes silicon nanoparticles ideally suited for LSC applications.”
Using the silicon nanoparticles opened up many new possibilities for the research team.
“Over the last few years, the LSC technology has experienced rapid acceleration, thanks also to pioneering studies conducted in Italy, but finding suitable materials for harvesting and concentrating solar light was still an open challenge,” said Sergio Brovelli, physics professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, co-author of the study, and co-founder of the spin-off company Glass to Power that is industrializing LSCs for photovoltaic windows “Now, it is possible to replace these elements with silicon nanoparticles.”
Researchers say the optical features of silicon nanoparticles and their nearly perfect compatibility with the industrial process for producing the polymer LSCs create a clear path to creating efficient photovoltaic windows that can capture more than 5 percent of the sun’s energy at unprecedented low costs.
“This will make LSC-based photovoltaic windows a real technology for the building-integrated photovoltaic market without the potential limitations of other classes of nanoparticles based on relatively rare materials,” said Francesco Meinardi, physics professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca and one of the first authors of the paper.
The silicon nanoparticles are produced in a high-tech process using a plasma reactor and formed into a powder.
“Each particle is made up of less than two thousand silicon atoms,” said Samantha Ehrenberg, a University of Minnesota mechanical Ph.D. student and another first author of the study. “The powder is turned into an ink-like solution and then embedded into a polymer, either forming a sheet of flexible plastic material or coating a surface with a thin film.”
The University of Minnesota invented the process for creating silicon nanoparticles about a dozen years ago and holds a number of patents on this technology. In 2015, Kortshagen met Brovelli, who is an expert in LSC fabrication and had already demonstrated various successful approaches to efficient LSCs based on other nanoparticle systems. The potential of silicon nanoparticles for this technology was immediately clear and the partnership was born. The University of Minnesota produced the particles and researchers in Italy fabricated the LSCs by embedding them in polymers through an industrial based method, and it worked.
“This was truly a partnership where we gathered the best researchers in their fields to make an old idea truly successful,” Kortshagen said. “We had the expertise in making the silicon nanoparticles and our partners in Milano had expertise in fabricating the luminescent concentrators. When it all came together, we knew we had something special.”
Learn more: Dream of energy-collecting windows is one step closer to reality
[osd_subscribe categories=’energy-collecting-windows’ placeholder=’Email Address’ button_text=’Subscribe Now for any new posts on the topic “ENERGY-COLLECTING WINDOWS”‘]
Receive an email update when we add a new ENERGY-COLLECTING WINDOWS article.
The Latest on: Energy-collecting windows
[google_news title=”” keyword=”energy-collecting windows” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Energy-collecting windows
- Microsoft made the biggest renewable energy agreement ever to fuel its AI ambitionson May 2, 2024 at 1:42 pm
Microsoft just agreed to support the development of 10.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity around the world, a massive amount of electricity to fuel its AI ambitions and climate goals.
- 4 IoT Trends U.K. Businesses Should Watch in 2024on May 2, 2024 at 1:13 pm
With help from Steve Statler, the chief marketing officer at IoT technology provider Wiliot, TechRepublic has identified the top four trends emerging in IoT that U.K. businesses should be aware of: ...
- Wall Street Seizes Opportunity to Gut SEC Trading Surveillanceon May 2, 2024 at 11:17 am
By its May 31 industry compliance deadline, it will collect almost all US trading data, as many as 500 billion records a day, and give the SEC a live window into activity across markets. Citadel ...
- Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ keeps baffling experts by waking up. It has shared images from its latest lunar ‘day’on May 2, 2024 at 8:42 am
Japan’s “Moon Sniper” wasn’t designed for extreme lunar temperature swings. But the spacecraft has endured three long lunar nights and keeps returning new images.
- Universal Orlando Resort Lifts the Lid on Its Super Nintendo Worldon May 2, 2024 at 5:00 am
Things are about to get powered up: today, Universal Orlando Resort revealed more details about theSuper Nintendo World coming to its new Epic Universe theme park, hot on the heels of revealing more ...
- 36 Hours in Minneapolison May 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Minneapolis, with more than a dozen lakes and a sprawling urban park system, appeals not only to outdoorsy types but also to travelers seeking a robust cultural scene, top-notch restaurants and fun ...
- What to See in New York During a Month-Long Celebration of Designon May 1, 2024 at 8:48 am
Common Things, an East Village shop devoted to humble, everyday objects, is exhibiting “Finding the Light,” a show of eclectic lamps by designers and artists including Candy Valentine, Blanca Codina, ...
- Renewal by Andersen Window Replacement: Is It Worth Considering?on April 30, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Andersen is one of the most recognizable names in the window and door industry. For homeowners interested in replacing their windows, Andersen has a specialized division called Renewal by Andersen. It ...
- Luci Shaw Wants to Open the Windowson April 30, 2024 at 5:09 am
Reversing Entropy doesn’t just look around; it looks ahead. Luci Shaw is 95 years old, and this collection is understandably full of endings. Leaves fall; ripe apricots drop from a tree; her brother ...
via Bing News