Trapping light to improve solar cells

 Scientists have uncovered why thinner solar cells with well organised patterns on their surface are better able to trap and absorb light.

The discovery could mean cheaper and more efficient solar cell technology.

Scientists have known that the efficiency of solar cells is improved when light is allowed to bounce inside the cell, increasing the chances that it will be absorbed.

One way to do this is by 'roughening up' the surface of the solar cell so that photons entering the material tend to be reflected inside it.

Reporting on the pre-publication website ArXiv, Dr Zongfu Yu and fellow researchers from Stanford University in California, have calculated the fundamental limit to the amount of light that can be trapped in a nano photonic solar cell.

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$560,- BILLION Solar Poject- Biggest Ever

The sun is coming out. And Europe isn’t waiting any longer. Some of the biggest businesses in Europe are ready to invest in the largest solar energy project in the world. They are looking to create a “solar energy belt” in the Middle East and North Africa.

How will the energy get to Europe? It will go through huge “super grids” under the Mediterranean Sea. Has this kind of thing happened before? Siemens CEO, Peter Löscher, says: “A few years ago we connected Tasmania with the Australian continent. And from 2011 there will be a 250-kilometer undersea cable supplying Majorca with electricity from the Spanish mainland. For us, this kind of thing is now part of our core business.”

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Cina Bangun PLTS Terbesar Dunia Hasilkan 2 GW

Akhir Desember tahun 2008 lalu, Cina merencanakan membangun pembangkit listrik tenaga surya dari photovoltaic (PV) berkapasitas 1 GW, yang merupakan pembangkit listrik sel surya terbesar di dunia. Hanya saja beberapa waktu kemudian Amerika Serikat mengumumkan untuk membangun 1,3 GW. Gelar pun berpindah.

Tampaknya Cina tidak rela jika gelar sebagai negara dengan pembangkit listrik tenaga surya yang berbasi photovoltaic (PV) berpindah ke negara lain. Sebuah pembangkit yang kelak akan menghasilkan 2GW tengah direncanakan pemerintah Cina dan menjadi pembangkit listrik tenaga surya terbesar di dunia untuk saat ini.

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