Eco Factor: Nanoparticles allow solar cells to absorb more sunlight, making them more efficient.
Apart from the high costs of solar cells, their low efficiency is also hampering their attractiveness. Research on ways to improve the efficiency have been going on for a long time, but not many have promised a dramatic increase in performance, which might herald a solar revolution. Scientists at the Institute of Condensed Matter and Solid State Optics at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena, Germany, have developed a technology that can improve the efficiency by up to 50%.
These scientists have tried to integrate metallic nanoparticles that could be distributed over the surface of a thin film solar cell. These particles increase the absorption of solar energy, thereby making the cells more efficient. Instead of distributing these nanoparticles randomly, this new research allows the scientists to use specifically shaped nanoparticles at precise locations, which they believe can enhance the absorption the most. The researchers opine that their findings can serve as a blueprint for a new generation of highly efficient thin film solar cells, which can readily be used globally.
Via: Physorg
