The solar cell created by the team is transparent, allowing its use in a wide range of applications
Photo courtesy: Joondong Kim from Incheon National University
A new study led by scientists from Incheon Notional University in Korea shows how to make a fully transparent solar cell.
In a new study in Journal of Power Sources, an international team of researchers, led by Prof. Joondong Kim from Korea, demonstrate the first transparent solar cell. Their innovative technique rests on a specific part of the solar cell: the heterojunction, made up of thin films of materials responsible for absorbing light. By combining the unique properties o f titanium dioxide and nickel oxide semiconductors, the researchers were able to generate an efficient, transparent solar cell.
Five years after the Paris climate agreement, all eyes are on the world’s progress on the road to a carbon-free future. A crucial part of this goal involves the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources, such as sun, water, wind and wave energy. Among those, solar energy has always held the highest hope in the scientific community, as the most reliable and abundant energy source on Earth. In recent decades, solar cells have become cheaper, more efficient, and environment friendly. However, current solar cells tend to be opaque, which prevents their wider use and integration into everyday materials, constrained to being lined up on roofs and in remote solar farms.
But what if next-generation solar panels could be integrated to windows, buildings, or even mobile phone screens? That is the hope of Professor Joondong Kim from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Incheon National University, Korea. In a recent study published in Journal of Power Sources, he and his colleagues detail their latest invention: a fully transparent solar cell. “The unique features of transparent photovoltaic cells could have various applications in human technology,” says Prof. Kim.
The idea of transparent solar cells is well known, but this novel application where scientists have been able to translate this idea into practice is a crucial new finding. At present, the materials making the solar cell opaque are the semiconductor layers, those responsible for capturing light and translating it into an electrical current. Hence, Prof. Kim and his colleagues looked at two potential semiconductor materials, identified by previous researchers for their desirable properties.
The first is titanium dioxide (Ti02), a well-known semiconductor already widely used to make solar cells. On top of its excellent electrical properties, Ti02 is also an environment-friendly and non-toxic material. This material absorbs UV light (a part of the light spectrum invisible to the naked eye) while letting through most of the visible light range. The second material investigated to make this junction was nickel oxide (NiO), another semiconductor known to have high optical transparency. As nickel is one of the mist abundant elements on Earth, and its oxide can easily be manufactured at low industrial temperatures, NiO is also a great material to make eco-friendly cells.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Transparent solar cell
- Solar Energy News
The new device is composed by a highly transparent ... Researchers Take Major Step Toward Developing Next-Generation Solar Cells Mar. 22, 2024 — Engineers have discovered a new way to ...
- A shade closer to more efficient organic photovoltaics
Transparent solar cells will transform the look of infrastructure by enabling many more surfaces to become solar panels. Now, materials called non-fullerene acceptors that can intrinsically generate ...
- Ultra-thin, flexible solar cells demonstrate their promise in a commercial quadcopter drone
Whether on Earth or in space, autonomous energy is critical in order to keep power systems running independently for extended periods of time, particularly in remote or unpredictable environments.
- Four-terminal tandem organic solar cell achieves 16.94% efficiency
Researchers in Spain claim to have recorded the highest power conversion efficiency result for a four-terminal tandem organic cell to date. The device is based on an ultrathin transparent silver ...
- Researchers Unveil Ultra-Efficient Tandem Organic Solar Cell With Unprecedented Efficiency
Researchers at ICFO have fabricated a new four-terminal organic solar cell with a tandem configuration with a 16.94% power conversion efficiency (PCE). The new device is composed by a highly ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Transparent solar cell
[google_news title=”” keyword=”transparent solar cell” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Invisible solar panels
- How Do Solar Panels Work?
Find out how solar cells power a good portion of homes today—and how they might power virtually everything in the future.
- Solar geoengineering to cool the planet: Is it worth the risks?
When I first wrote about geoengineering in 2012 , it was considered far-fetched at best, and crazy by most. But 12 years later, while there is still controversy and considerable resistance to ...
- Photovoltaic Research Challenges: Overcoming Hurdles in Solar Technology
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has evolved in the past few years, particularly in solar panels and systems. However, researchers and institutions are actively working to overcome limitations to ...
- Envirothon team finds unique solution regarding solar
Senior Megan Craig, who is part of a team with juniors Bluebell Chen, Sarah Hawkins and Loreli Ferrar has found a unique solution to the solar panel/agriculture problem, advisor Rob Taylor told the ...
- Solar cells 20x thinner than hair power long-duration drone flights
Their solution offers an ultra-lightweight, flexible solar cell that will enable long-term, self-sufficient energy generation. With a relatively high degree of stability and an enhanced power output ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Invisible solar panels
[google_news title=”” keyword=”invisible solar panels” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]