Solar Energy News - From Science Daily
ScienceDaily: Solar Energy News
Solar Energy Information. Read the latest news and techniques for efficient solar photovoltaic power, new solar energy systems and more.
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New solar prediction system gives time to prepare for the storms ahead
A new method of predicting solar storms that could help to avoid widespread power and communications blackouts costing billions of pounds has been launched by researchers in the UK.
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Off-the-shelf dyes improve solar cells
Scientists report success in boosting the ability of zinc oxide solar cells to absorb visible light simply by applying a blended mixture of various off-the-shelf dyes commonly used in food and medical industries -- in a soak-then-dry procedure not unlike that used to color a tee-shirt in a home washing machine.
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200-fold boost in fuel cell efficiency advances 'personalized energy systems'
The era of personalized energy systems -- in which individual homes and small businesses produce their own energy for heating, cooling and powering cars -- took another step toward reality as scientists reported discovery of a powerful new catalyst that is a key element in such a system. The advance could help free homes and businesses from dependence on the electric company and the corner gasoline station.
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Self-cleaning technology from Mars can keep terrestrial solar panels dust free
Find dusting those tables and dressers a chore or a bore? Dread washing the windows? Imagine keeping dust and grime off objects spread out over an area of 25 to 50 football fields. That's the problem facing companies that deploy large-scale solar power installations, and scientists have now developed a possible solution -- self-dusting solar panels -- based on technology developed for space missions to Mars.
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Major hurdle cleared for organic solar cells
The basis for solar energy is absorbing light and then effectively disassociating electrical charges. Researchers report that conjugated polymers are excellent materials for such a system, thanks to their light absorption and conduction properties.
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Selenium makes more efficient solar cells
By embedding the element selenium in zinc oxide, researchers have made a relatively inexpensive material that could be promising for solar power conversion by making more efficient use of the sun's energy.
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New inexpensive solar cell design
One of the most promising technologies for making inexpensive but reasonably efficient photovoltaic cells just got much cheaper. Scientists in Canada have shown that inexpensive nickel can work just as well as gold for one of the critical electrical contacts that gather the electrical current produced by colloidal quantum dot solar cells.
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New solar energy conversion process could double solar efficiency of solar cells
A new process that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity could offer more than double the efficiency of existing solar cell technology, say the engineers who discovered it and proved that it works. The process, called 'photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE, could reduce the costs of solar energy production enough for it to compete with oil as an energy source.
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'Sea urchin'-shaped nanostructures grown in the lab
Researchers have succeeded in growing sea-urchin shaped nanostructures from minute balls of polystyrene beads using a simple electrochemical process. The spines of the sea urchin consist of zinc oxide nanowires. The structured surface should help increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic devices.
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Graphene organic photovoltaics: Flexible material only a few atoms thick may offer cheap solar power
A research team has produced flexible transparent carbon atom films that the researchers say have great potential for a new breed of solar cells.
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