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www.physorg.com

synopped by: silacon (reach: 48) category: Sci-Tech

Solar Power Game Changer: 'Near Perfect' Absorption Of Sunlight, From All Angles

Takeaway #1
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute created an anti-reflective coating helps to capture more sunlight on solar panels, as well as abosrb the whole spectrum of sunlight from any angle of the suns position.
Takeaway #2
The panels went from absorbing 67.4% of the sunlight, to 96.21%.
Takeaway #3
The ability to capture sunlight from all angles means no need for automation and wasted energy to "follow the sun" with mechanics.

Takeaway #4
The coating is made of 7 layers, those layers are made of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide nanorods. The layers are between 50 and 100 nanometers high.

Takeaways: (4) Views: (592) Requests: (2) Revisions: (2)

Posted: February 17, 2009 04:31 Last Edited: newsjunkie (Reach: 75) February 17, 2009 05:02

1

February 17, 2009 04:36 revised by: silacon reason: minor edit
- Takeaway #1
  Near perfect absorption of all the spectrum of the sun permits PV solar panel producers to eliminate tracking systems as the panels treated with the new coating of nanotubes of silacon and titanium dioxide.
- Takeaway #2
  "An untreated silicon solar cell only absorbs 67.4 percent of sunlight shone upon it — meaning that nearly one-third of that sunlight is reflected away and thus unharvestable. From an economic and efficiency perspective, this unharvested light is wasted potential and a major barrier hampering the proliferation and widespread adoption of solar power."