We've written before about Honda's production of solar cells, but did you know that Mitsubishi actually ranks as the world's sixth-largest manufacturer of PV cells? Currently, Mitsubishi Electric cranks out about 120 megawatts worth of solar cells a year, although they have the capacity for 150 megawatts. They plan to increase production to 230 annual megawatts by April of 2009. Solar cells are a hot commodity these days as the power industry, just like the automotive industry, is in the process of "greening" their image. In fact, Mitsubishi believes that the worldwide demand for solar cells could quadruple to 10,000 megawatts as early as 2010. If demand remains high, Mitsubishi Electric could increase its output to 500 megawatts by 2012.

The Idaho National Laboratory, Microcontinuum, Inc. and Patrick Pinhero from the University of Missouri are developing an exciting new technology which uses "nano-antennas" to capture solar energy. What is especially cool about this new solar technology is that it would operate both during the day and at night by using the leftover radiation after the sun goes down. Each nano-antenna is a spiral as wide as 1/25 the diameter of a human hair, meaning that many of them can be fit into a tiny space, and may be as much as 80 percent efficient.

At this time, researchers have a ways to go before the technology is commercialized, but they are hoping that their finished product would be no more expensive as a coating than a cheap layer of carpeting.

[Source: Gizmag]

Zinc oxide coatings serve a variety of purposes, from LCD displays to contact lenses. For the purposes of green technology, they also could have significant impact on solar cells and even batteries. One potential problem is that in the past, the coatings were deposited at such high temperatures that they damaged the substrate they were being applied to. The University at Buffalo in New York believes that they may have found a solution to that problem by rapidly cooling the metal nanoparticles before applying them through a very small aperture. This could positively impact the efficiency of solar cells, making them much more efficient, and perhaps also cheaper to manufacture. We always make sure to keep an eye on solar breakthroughs, being that the sun's not going anywhere anytime soon and offers free power to those who can capture it. Not destroying your solar cells while creating them sounds like a step in the right direction, wouldn't you agree?

[Source: The University at Buffalo]

Generally, solar cells on the market today do not produce much electricity from ultraviolet light, instead it is either filtered out or absorbed by the cell, heating the cell. That heat is wasted energy and could even lead to damage to the cell. However, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered a way to utilize that energy by placing a film of silicon nanoparticles onto the silicon solar cell. By diluting particles of silicon in alcohol, covering a solar cell with it and letting the alcohol evaporate to leave the nanoparticles of silicon on the cell, the team has increased the power output by 67% in the ultraviolet range and about 10% in the visible range. According to Munir Nayfeh, a physicist at the University of Illinois, "Our results point to a significant role for charge transport across the film and rectification at the nanoparticle interface." Nayfeh also believes that this process could be added onto the existing process of cell creation at very little cost. This could potentially be another solar breakthrough by increasing the voltage of cells which are very similar to those already being produced today.

[Source: Science Daily]

We love solar power due to the fact that it could potentially power your electric car completely carbon free. Well, besides what would be emitted by the creation of the solar cells in the first place, but that topic is for another time. Although solar cells are not efficient enough yet to make it practical to place them on a vehicle of standard size and weight, it makes more sense to make the solar cell part of a stand-alone mini-grid where you could recharge your car, kind of like a gas station. The best part is that you could do the same thing at home by setting up the grid on your garage roof, charging your car whenever it's parked in your garage or driveway.

Currently, solar power is just too expensive for the average household to consider, although it would likely pay itself off in time. Good news comes from The Ohio State University, where researchers hope to generate just as much electricity from a new type of cell as the normal silicon based cells currently on the market. The dye-sensitive solar cells appear pink due to the mixture of ruthenium and either titanium or zinc oxide particles in the cells, and would cost about a quarter of the price as other competing cells. Engadget makes a joke regarding solar powered pink Cadillac's, but I'm not so sure that Mary Kay is listening.

According to Yiying Wu, assistant professor of chemistry at Ohio State, "We asked ourselves, what structure is best for gathering light and also transporting materials -- a tree! The leaves provide a high surface area for capturing light, and the branches transport the nutrients to the roots. In our DSSC design, the dye-coated particles would provide the surface area, and the nano-trees would branch out in between them, to transport the electrons."

[Source: Engadget]

Solar power has long been sought after as a solution to our global energy needs. The reason is rather obvious, as the sun never fails to rise in the morning and set at night. Solar power makes especially good sense where sunlight is abundant. Arid areas which have low populations would make excellent sites for large solar arrays. One problem which always has and continues to face solar is the high price of admission. As long as it is significantly cheaper to use far dirtier methods of power generation, solar will continue to take a back seat.

Lowering the cost of solar power might soon be a reality with new plastic solar cell technology developed by a team of Korean researchers. The cost is reduced due to the lack of silicon semiconductors in the cell. The cost per watt for the new cells is 10 cents, while existing solar cells cost $2.30 per watt. Lee Kwang-hee of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology said that the team hopes to commercialize the new technology by 2012.

[Source: Chosun via Engadget]

I feel the need to level with you, dear reader, and let you know that much of the technical bits in this article are over my head. But, let me do my best to describe what I think is going on here... Like a standard photovoltaic solar cell, a wafer is coated with a layer of silicon. This is where it gets a bit different, as a thin layer of iron goes on top of the silicon, and carbon nanotubes are grown on top of the iron. Two types of cadmium are coated on the nanotubes, followed by indium tin oxide. Hope that's clear, 'cause there might just be a test at the end of this session. This does not sound like a cheap process at this point, but the advantages are that these cells do not need to be rotated to face the sun. This makes them suitable for use in space, but the article points out that terrestrial use may also be in their future. They hope that with further research and development they can compete with standard flat solar cells.

[Source: What's Next Network]

Again, as we pointed out in a previous posting, solar power is likely the most environmentally source of power available, but there are problems associated with it. Currently, solar cells are not cheap enough, nor are they powerful enough to replace much of our existing power generation methods. The fact that they are environmentally friendly alone is not enough to overcome the problems associated with the almighty dollar. Additionally, the current process of creating solar panels uses silicon, which, although there is plenty of it, is expensive to process.

Researchers in New Zealand, however, hope to achieve less expensive cells while making their manufacture more eco-friendly in the process. This technology uses synthetic colored dyes, using compounds related to those used in nature for photosynthesis. This technology is not ready to bring to market, but they do have a working proof-of-concept. They believe that they could be commercially viable in as little as two years. I have posed this idea before, but how about the tinted windows of your car charging the vehicles' battery?

Thanks for the tip, Ray!

[Source: Stuff.co.nz]

President Bush outlined what he is calling the Advanced Energy Initiative in his State of the Union speech. Part of this initiative includes investment in solar technology. Specifically, the Department of Energy has chosen 13 Industry-Led solar projects. Click here for a list of the companies. The current total investment is $168 million and could increase to $357 million in three years, depending on the individual success of each project.

These projects should lead to an increase in the efficiency of solar cells and a decrease of the price that is necessary to produce the cells and their subsystems. This is good news for electric car fans, as it could be a boon to the industry allowing more people to add solar power to their homes or garages, making it feasible to charge their cars off the grid. If the cells come down in price, perhaps it will start making more sense to include them on future electric vehicles.

[Source: Seeking Alpha]