Flexible Solar Cells - electric hot pants?

[rdean]

Flexible solar cells created with silicon wire arrays | R&D Mag

Enhanced absorption and carrier collection in Si wire arrays for photovoltaic applications : Abstract : Nature Materials

The observed absorption enhancement and collection efficiency enable a cell geometry that not only uses 1/100th the material of traditional wafer-based devices, but also may offer increased photovoltaic efficiency owing to an effective optical concentration of up to 20 times.

Their research was supported by BP and the Energy Frontier Research Center program of the Department of Energy, and made use of facilities supported by the Center for Science and Engineering of Materials, a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Caltech. In addition, Boettcher received fellowship support from the Kavli Neuroscience Institute at Caltech.

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Let me point out that their research is funded by the Department of Energy. Probably one of those “earmarks” Republicans complain about. So, I guess Government is good for some things. Imagine if we stopped all research and lost interest in science. We would BE Afghanistan.

 

[Old Rocks]

This has to be one of the most interesting advances in solar that I have heard of. Cheap to make, cheap to mount, easy to replace, and by the nature of it's structure, durable enough to weather even moderate hail storms.

 

[uscitizen]

They stole this idea off of the Christmas plane bomber(attempted).

 

[uscitizen]

China will be producing this within 6 months.

 

[Old Rocks]

That is exactly what I am afraid of. We need an industrial or government group or association that would take developments like this, assign a team of expediters to it, and develop the manufacturing process and equipment ASAP.

I know this is possible, for a premier fighter plane was developed in exactly this manner during WW2, the P-51. 157 days from the idea to a flying airplane.

 

[uscitizen]

That is exactly what I am afraid of. We need an industrial or government group or association that would take developments like this, assign a team of expediters to it, and develop the manufacturing process and equipment ASAP.

I know this is possible, for a premier fighter plane was developed in exactly this manner during WW2, the P-51. 157 days from the idea to a flying airplane.

Umm the govt is not the only concern in thei country that is management top heavy and a beaurocratic(sp?) nightmare.
I have watched corps keep pruning the producing workers and adding managers and AVP's like mad.

 

[rdean]

That is exactly what I am afraid of. We need an industrial or government group or association that would take developments like this, assign a team of expediters to it, and develop the manufacturing process and equipment ASAP.

I know this is possible, for a premier fighter plane was developed in exactly this manner during WW2, the P-51. 157 days from the idea to a flying airplane.

Umm the govt is not the only concern in thei country that is management top heavy and a beaurocratic(sp?) nightmare.
I have watched corps keep pruning the producing workers and adding managers and AVP's like mad.

That is odd. Where I work, the engineering department was pruned from 21 to 8. Of course, new technology does make product development go much faster. With 3d and new software that examines heat transfer, stress analysis and air flow, final testing is now for "verification" and not part of physical development. With photo-realism, complete product development is up front. Graphics for brochures and instruction manuals are complete even before the first piece of equipment is built and the equipment looks EXACTLY like the brochures graphics.

"Specials" that used to take a year can now be developed, approved, the contract signed and the parts ordered within a month.

But the other departments. 7 new people added to accounting when there used to be 2. A seperate finance department. Many new people in "marketing, human resources, management and customer service". But where are the people in assembly and manufacturing? My boss used to report directly to the CEO. Now he has two bosses between him and the CEO. I don't even know most of the new people.

But they still seem to be making money, though I'm not sure how.

The good news is that most of the engineers that have left have already found jobs, but not all as engineers.

One Russian engineer started a translation business for "English - Russian - German".

Another one went into real estate of all things.

Another one became a service rep for the MidWest.

Another one started his own company for "automation" and has already landed a few very good contracts. He refurbished old automation equipment with modern sensors and controls. For instance, he can improve a cycle time from 7 per minute to 25 per minute.