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‘Cling film’ solar cells could revolutionize renewable energy harvesting

Cling FilmNow it will be easier and cheaper to produce renewable energy from solar panels. A recent study has suggested that instead of silicon panels, now polymer panels can be used easily with the same effect. Polymer panels are far more easier to produce and they can be produced in bulk quantities also. It is hoped that the experiment will bring revolution in the field of renewable energy production.

The study was carried out by scientists from Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge. The team used two sources, ISIS Neutron Source and Diamond Light Source, to conduct the experiment. The experiment proved that when complex assortments of molecules in a solution are spread, the various molecules present in the mixture separate to the top and bottom of the surface to optimize the efficiency of the solar cell produced. This can be understood by the example of varnishing a table top. This experiment was carried out at Oxfordshire in the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

The story was published in latest edition of Advanced Energy Materials. Dr. Andrew Parnell, one of the researchers, was quoted saying that this research paves a way for producing ultra cheap solar energy panels for the purpose of domestic and industrial use and can be easily manufactured at large scale. So now, manufacturers can use high volume printing to produce films of solar cells rather than using complex and exorbitant assemblage methods to create a specific semiconductor nano structure. Manufacturers can use these nano scale films to make better and cheaper solar panels.

Dr Robert Dalgliesh, one of the scientists from ISIS who worked on the project, was quoted saying that this experiment shows that many challenges of contemporary times can be solved by combining the use of neutron and x-ray dispersing material like diamond. Through this experiment, we have tried to understand how layers in the material which convert sunlight into electricity can be processed differently in order to change the overall efficiency and therefore overall polymer solar cell performance.

Via: Physorg

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