Limited fossil resources and environmental concerns have long focused our attention to search out for alternative energy sources. However, researchers in this field have found no parallel to the radiant energy from the sun. Despite this discovery and their hard work, growing awareness among common person and all the public money spent in its development we find little industrial progress over the years to tap this undying energy source. The reason is the high costs associated with solar panels that form the filter to convert solar energy into electric energy, making it economically not a viable energy option. However, a new breakthrough in this field is likely to revolutionize its commercial harnessing.
US based HyperSolar Inc. has developed a new breakthrough technology using the science of photonics to invent a magnifying layer which utilizes the solar cells more efficiently by almost 300%.
How it works
The solar panel that generates electricity constitutes of several solar or photovoltaic (PV) cells packaged together. Crystalline silicon, used to compose the PV cells, is pricey making each of these panels a costly affair. In addition, a significantly large concentration of PV cells was required to produce minimum energy.
Here the new magnifying layer invented by Hypersolar lays thin over the solar cells blowing up each of their performance allowing solar cells to produce 300 % more concentrated power. This discovery not only reduces the solar panel magnitude also makes the whole technology cheaper and convenient.
The new “Thin and Flat Solar Collector-Concentrator and Method of Fabrication” is a microphotonic design where the collector amassing the solar light is a wider surface, and then directing it to the attached solar cell that is lesser in magnitude. Thus reducing concentration of the PV cells and thereby reducing the cost of per watt of solar electricity. This principle of solar concentration and pioneering technique assures a bright future for solar power replacing the global energy options and thus gifting us a truly greener and cleaner planet.
Via: Forbes
