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"A society built on green design, sustainable energy and closed loop systems, a civilization afloat on a cloud of efficient, non-toxic, recyclable technology." ~~Alex Nikolai Steffan

12.23.2011

NANO-SIZE SOLAR CELL?

This may not be the answer to extremely low cost solar, but every innovation moves us a step closer.  (See video below).

Notre Dame researchers have created a semiconductive paste, called “Sun-Believable,” which can turn surfaces its applied to into solar cells. The new material coats nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide, and then suspends them in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste.

The paste can then be applied to a transparent conducting material, which creates electricity when exposed to light. The solar cell paint is cheap to produce, but it currently has a serious drawback: low efficiency. Silicon solar cells typically have 10-15% efficiency, while the material created by Kamat and his team has a 1% efficiency at best.

Read more at Notre Dame news.



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