Advances in batteries/energy thread

[ScienceRocks]

Picture Gallery - Vestas 8MW tower finished

27 November 2013 by Ben Miller, Be the first to comment

DENMARK: The tower for Vestas' 8MW turbine has been completed and is being transported to the national test centre for large wind turbines in Østerild, north Denmark.

When complete Vestas' V164-8.0MW will be the world's most powerful wind turbine. The tower is 133 metres high and consists of five sections, weighing a total of 700 tonnes. The tower has diameter of 6.5 metres at the base and 4.5 metres at the top.

In September, the first prototype blade of Vestas' 8MW V164 was produced at its research centre on the Isle of Wight, UK. The 80-metre blade, the longest produced by the company, will be tested for six months.

The V164-8MW prototype will be installed in the first quarter of 2014 at the Østerild testing centre.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Japanese firm proposes LUNA RING to send solar energy from moon to Earth

(Phys.org) —Japanese construction firm Shimizu Corp. has unveiled a proposal that entails building a solar panel array around the moon's equator, then sending the power it collects back to Earth. They are calling the project LUNA RING.

Read more at: Japanese firm proposes LUNA RING to send solar energy from moon to Earth

 

[ScienceRocks]

Plastic Solar Cells — Low-Priced Plastic Photovoltaic Technology Coming Along

Cost-efficient plastic solar cells are now one step closer to the market thanks to new research from Imperial College London — a new means of exerting control over the arrangement of polymer molecules within a thin layer of a plastic solar cell has been developed, allowing, essentially, the creation of ‘nanowires’ within the material.

One of the primary obstacles to the creation of cheep, efficient plastic solar cells has been the difficulty in controlling the arrangement of polymer molecules within the thin layer of the printed polymer semiconducting material — a difficulty that now appears to have been overcome. The researchers at Imperial have developed “an advanced structural probe technique to determine the molecular packing of two different polymers when they are mixed together.”


“By manipulating how the molecules of the two different polymers pack together, the researchers have created ordered pathways — or ‘nanowires’ — along which electrical charges can more easily travel. This enables the solar cell to produce more electrical current.”

“Our work highlights the importance of the precise arrangement of polymer molecules in a polymer solar cell for it to work efficiently,” states Ji-Seon Kim, lead researcher and also a senior lecturer in experimental solid-state physics at Imperial College London. Kim also mentions that she expects polymer solar cells to hit the commercial market sometime within the next 5 to 10 years.

The obvious advantage of such polymer solar cells is that they have the potential to be significantly cheaper to produce than conventional solar cells — which typically require expensive, highly purified silicon. The cost savings that could result from replacing that silicon with polymers could be enormous.

The researchers explain: “Organic semiconducting materials, and especially polymers, can be dissolved to make an ink and then simply ‘printed’ in a very thin layer, some 100 billionths of a meter thick, over a large area.”

“Covering a large area in plastic is much cheaper than covering it in silicon, and as a result the cost per Watt of electricity-generating capacity has the potential to be much lower,” states Kim.

Read more at Plastic Solar Cells -- Low-Priced Plastic Photovoltaic Technology Coming Along ?

When this hits the market = solar growing to over 200gw in America

 

[ScienceRocks]

Robot with brush, water, wiper tackles solar panel cleaning

18 hours ago by Nancy Owano weblog

(Phys.org) —At large-scale solar plants, keeping the surfaces of solar panels free from dust, sand and bird droppings is not just a matter of finicky housekeeping. It can be a matter of plant profitability. Dirty panels lower power generation efficiencies. Bird droppings on panels, for example, block the sunlight. A Tokyo-based company has a solution. Sinfonia Technology announced late last month that it has developed a robot with camera and sensors that can move autonomously and clean solar panels at large-scale solar power plants. Sinfonia's robot has a distinction in being "autonomous" in that, rather than tethered to rails, the robot is able to move from panel to panel, to tackle the panels' dirt and debris. The robot is equipped with scrub brush, wiper and detergent; and also sprinkles water stored in its tank. The robot can work in the dark; it has LEDs, having wavelengths in the infrared range.

Read more at: Robot with brush, water, wiper tackles solar panel cleaning

 

[ScienceRocks]

Natcore Technology Moves Toward Low-Temperature Production Of Solar Cells

Natcore Technology Moves Toward Low-Temperature Production Of Solar Cells

Two weeks after an independent study concluded that Natcore Technology's black silicon technology could reduce silicon solar cell production costs by up to 23.5%, the company has taken additional steps that could further reduce production costs and hazardous effluents.

Black silicon technology can eliminate the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon nitride currently in solar cell production lines. Now Natcore scientists are developing laser processing to replace the high-temperature diffusion furnace in the solar cell production process, thus significantly reducing energy and chemical costs associated with the furnace.

They have identified a versatile laser that the company plans to acquire for its R and D Center in Rochester, NY.

In typical solar cell manufacturing, the surface of the cell is doped in a process that involves heating the entire silicon wafer to a temperature in the range of 800 to 900 C. The process can damage the silicon, and wastes considerable energy. Laser doping works by firing a focused laser beam on the wafer. A small amount of dopant is initially sitting on the surface.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Boeing subsidiary sets new solar efficiency record

Boeing subsidiary sets new solar efficiency record - Solar Tribune

Spectrolab has set a new efficiency record for non-concentrated solar cells, with its III-V cells having a conversion efficiency of almost 39%.

The cells can convert 38.8% of incoming sunlight to electricity, beating the April 2013 record of 37.8% conversion efficiency. The new record has been verified by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Spectrolab is a subsidiary of Boeing and used the company’s semiconductor bonding technology to develop this multi-junction solar cell. Spectrolab claims this new technology could be used to provide power for spacecraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Improving solar cell manufacturing technology is at the core of what we do at Spectrolab,” says Spectrolab President Troy Dawson. “We will continue to innovate new ways to achieve even better results.”

 

[ScienceRocks]

Fraunhofer ISE unveils 24% efficient n-type solar PV cell

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE, Freiburg, Germany) has unveiled a new 24% efficient solar photovoltaic (PV) cell, based on a passivated contact covering the entire rear surface.

The PV cell is based on n-type silicon, unlike the majority of commercial PV cells today, which utilize p-type silicon. Fraunhofer ISE states that phosphorous-doped n-type silicon is a superior PV cell material, but that patterning schemes for the rear contact have been an obstacle.

KW48*|*Fraunhofer ISE unveils 24% efficient n-type solar PV cell*-*SolarServer

 

[ScienceRocks]

Team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible

11 hours ago

Converting sunshine into electricity is not difficult, but doing so efficiently and on a large scale is one of the reasons why people still rely on the electric grid and not a national solar cell network.

But a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Central Florida in Orlando may be one step closer to tapping into the full potential of solar cells. The team found a way to create large sheets of nanotextured, silicon micro-cell arrays that hold the promise of making solar cells lightweight, more efficient, bendable and easy to mass produce.

The team used a light-trapping scheme based on a nanoimprinting technique where a polymeric stamp mechanically emboss the nano-scale pattern on to the solar cell without involving further complex lithographic steps. This approach has led to the flexibility researchers have been searching for, making the design ideal for mass manufacturing, said UCF assistant professor Debashis Chanda, lead researcher of the study.

The study's findings are the subject of the November cover story of the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

Read more at: Team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar Frontier sets new CZTS solar PV efficiency record

Solar Frontier KK (Tokyo) has produced a copper zinc tin sulphur selenium (CZTS or CZTSe) solar photovoltaic (PV) cell with an efficiency of 12.6%, as verified by Newport Corporation (Irvine, California, U.S.).

The 0.42 square centimeter cell sets a new world record for CZTS technology, breaking Solar Frontier's previous record of 11.1%. The company emphasizes that CZTS offers a cost advantage over other PV technologies, due to the low cost and abundant supply of the materials used.


“Breaking our previous record at such a fast pace shows the potential of CZTS for mass production in the future, and we are now in a position to drive that efficiency even higher,” said Solar Frontier Chief Technology Officer Satoru Kuriyagawa.

The cell was developed through joint research with IBM (Armonk, New York, U.S.) and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (Tokyo).



Germany also working on CZTS research

The fall of 2013 has been a busy time for CZTS technology. In November 2013, the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW, Stuttgart, Germany) reported a 10.3% efficiency with a new production process for CZTS (also known as kesterite) PV cells.

ZSW's process does not require vacuum technology, which reduces complexity.

CTZS efficiency record follows on CIGS records

Solar Frontier notes that it has also achieved world record conversion efficiencies of 17.8% with a 900 square centimeter submodule based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS or CIS) technology, and 19.7% for a non-cadmium CIS cell.

The company currently offers CIS PV modules with up to 13.8% efficiency, the highest of any mass-produced thin film PV modules.

KW50*|*Solar Frontier sets new CZTS solar PV efficiency record*-*SolarServer

 

[RGR]

Solar Frontier sets new CZTS solar PV efficiency record

Cool! Have they solved the sun not always shining problem yet?

 

[RGR]

Team finds way to make solar cells thin, efficient and flexible

Excellent! So when they solve the sun doesn't always shine problem, we can more efficiently generate a small fraction of our power needs. Keep up the good work...but when are you going to post on how folks are planning on fixing the sun don't always shine problem?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar Frontier sets new CZTS solar PV efficiency record

Cool! Have they solved the sun not always shining problem yet?

I heard they're working on solar panels that can work within the IR.

A new material for solar panels could make them cheaper, more efficient

A unique solar panel design made with a new ceramic material points the way to potentially providing sustainable power cheaper, more efficiently, and requiring less manufacturing time. It also reaches a four-decade-old goal of discovering a bulk photovoltaic material that can harness energy from visible and infrared light, not just ultraviolet light.

Read more at: A new material for solar panels could make them cheaper, more efficient

 

[ScienceRocks]

Despite the enormous untapped potential of solar energy, one thing is for sure- photovoltaics are only as good as the sun’s rays shining upon them. However, researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory are close to the production of a super-thin solar film that would be cost-effective, imprinted on flexible materials, and would be able to harvest solar energy even after sunset!

The technique involves the embedding of square spirals of conducting metal onto a sheet of plastic, each of which, referred to as a “nanoantenna,” just 1/25 the diameter of a human hair. The nanoantennas absorb infrared energy, which is absorbed by the earth during the day and released even hours after the sun goes down. The nanoantennas are thus able to harvest energy both during daytime hours and into the early evening. Because they can take in energy from both sunlight and the earth’s heat, the nanoantennas have a much higher efficiency (and potential applicability) than conventional solar cells.

The scientific principle isn’t a new one, but the manufacturing process that maximizes efficiency certainly is state-of-the-art. The innovation within nanotechnology is what has allowed the nanoantennas to be efficiently embedded to absorb energy in a flexible and inexpensive material.

New Solar Panels That Work At Night Nighttime solar panels, night solar panels, night photovoltaics, Solar cells, solar power at night, idaho national laboratory, solar technology, solar film, nanotechnology solar, nanoantennas - Gallery Page 0 ? Inh

https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1269&mode=2&featurestory=DA_101047

RGR imagine if this hit the market

 

[RGR]

Solar Frontier sets new CZTS solar PV efficiency record

Cool! Have they solved the sun not always shining problem yet?

I heard they're working on solar panels that can work within the IR.

Well this is excellent! As soon as they can deliver 120 MW at 10PM on a given night, make sure to let the power engineers know how much that will cost.

 

[Mr. H.]

The IEA predicts that hydrocarbons will be the driving force in world economies for decades hence.

Hence, Liberals have only their PR bullshit to prop up their... bullshit.

They slice, they dice, they try to sell us 64 tools in one.

Liberals can give you a can opener AND an asphalt spreader at the same time.

All you have to do is BELIEVE.

 

[ScienceRocks]

And that is why there's a shit load of states with 10, 15 and 20% wind and solar powering them Keep sprouting the bull crap! I never said move totally away from fossil fuels and in fact I am for nuclear

 

[Politico]

Which explains why you do nothing but copy and paste solar articles.

 

[ScienceRocks]

3-4 states are already 15-25% renewables All we'd have to do to make the US avg be 20% is make the rest of the states at that rate.

Doesn't seem very hard...We'd cut the imports of coal, natural gas and oil down big time

 

[Old Rocks]

Solar has one advantage that none of the other energy sources have. It is affordable for the individual, and can fuel both his home and vehicle. And, for that reason, earns the hatred from the fossil fuel companies.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar has one advantage that none of the other energy sources have. It is affordable for the individual, and can fuel both his home and vehicle. And, for that reason, earns the hatred from the fossil fuel companies.

Solar because of that and the fact that it is dropping in price is a major threat to fossil fuel.