Analysts at Deutsche Bank have predicted that the global solar PV sector will transition from a subsidized market to a sustainable market within a year, citing the arrival of “grid parity” in a number of key markets, unexpectedly strong demand and rebounding margins, reports Renew Economy.
The Deutsche Bank team said key markets such as India, China and the U.S. are experiencing strong demand and solar… read more
In their 2015 solar outlook, investment bank Deutsche Bank is predicting that solar systems will be at grid parity (when an alternative energy source cost is lower or equal to that of electricity from the electrical grid) in up to 80 per cent of the global market within 2 years, Renew Economy notes.
That’s because grid-based electricity prices are rising across the world… read more
The Global Positioning System may be threatened by powerful solar flares, a panel of scientists warned yesterday.
The cause for their concern, according to David L. Johnson, director of the National Weather Service, was an unexpected solar radio burst on Dec. 6 that affected virtually every GPS receiver on the lighted half of earth. Some receivers had a reduction in accuracy while others completely lost the ability to determine… read more
A breakthrough in solar cell technology promises to make solar power a cost-competitive energy option and to reduce U.S. dependence on oil.
With funding from the Department of Energy, Boeing-Spectrolab has managed to create a solar cell with 40.7 percent sunlight-to-energy conversion efficiency, said DoE assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy Alexander Karsner.
Pennsylvania State University researchers built a solar cell that mimics photosynthesis to make hydrogen directly from water.
The device works much like a Gratzel solar cell, using sunlight to knock electrons off dye molecules, but instead of creating a current, the electrons are shuttled from the dye into a catalyst to split water molecules. The device splits water a thousand times faster than in other dye-based cells.
The… read more
Jiao Tong University scientists have produced a titanium dioxide deposit derived from the Paris peacock butterfly to make a solar cell photoanode with 10 per cent higher efficiency than normal.
Engineers from the University of Minnesota have improved the efficiency of a type of solar cell by as much as 26 percent.
These cells, known as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), are made of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a photosensitive material that is less expensive than the more traditional silicon solar cells, which are rapidly approaching the theoretical limit of their efficiency.… read more
To extend the time between cellphone charges, researchers at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, built a prototype device that converts ambient light into electricity, using an array of solar cells made of thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon that sits below the display. It can also harness wasted light that escapes at the edges of displays.
Solar cells are currently more efficient at converting light to energy than plants, but that will change with synthetic biology and genetic engineering, Robert Blankenship of Washington University and colleagues argue in an article in the latest issue of Science.
In a detailed analysis, they compare the pros and cons of photosynthesis and solar cells. Plants are naturally less efficient because they must power a… read more
Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees.
By fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle.
The technology is published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports.
The researchers report that the organic solar cells reach a… read more
Georgia Tech Research Institute researchers have developed solar cells designed to operate at relatively high efficiencies during much of the day.
Its surface consists of hundreds of thousands of 100-micrometer-high towers that catch light at many angles.
A first application is powering spacecraft and satellites, which could benefit from solar cells that don’t require a failure-prone mechanical means of moving the orientation of the cell to keep it… read more
Carnegie Science researchers have found that the amount of energy that could be generated from solar equipment constructed on and around existing infrastructure in California would exceed the state’s demand by up to five times.
“Integrating solar facilities into the urban and suburban environment causes the least amount of land-cover change and the lowest environmental impact,” according to Carnegie’s Rebecca R. Hernandez (now at… read more
Falling module prices have helped to bring down the cost of solar installations, but now balance of system (BOS) components like racking and mounting are key targets of cost reduction, as distributed generation system prices fall by between 15% and 30% by 2020 depending on geography, according to Lux Research.
Along with continuing module efficiency improvements, these advances will… read more
A system developed by Cool Energy that produces heat and electricity from the sun could help make solar energy competitive with conventional sources of energy in relatively dark and cold climates.
The system combines a conventional solar water heater with a new Stirling-engine-based generator. In cool months, the solar heater provides hot water and space heating. In warmer months, excess heat is used to drive the Stirling engine and… read more
Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell. Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays.
Solar cells are usually grouped in large arrays, often on rooftops, because each cell can generate only a limited amount of power. However, not every… read more