Solar cells

A community portal about Solar cells with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: A solar cell is a device that converts photons from the sun into electricity. In general, a solar cell that includes both solar and nonsolar sources of light is termed a photovoltaic cell. Fundamentally, the device needs to fulfill only two functions: photogeneration of charge carriers in a light-absorbing material, and separation of the charge carriers to a conductive contact that will transmit the electricity. This conversion is called the photovoltaic effect, and the field of research related to solar cells is known as photovoltaics.

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Printable and Paintable Solar Cells Make Production More Affordable

Written by coolerchoice on

From: coolerchoice.com

A team of scientists from the University of Texas at Austin has developed a type of spray-on solar cells that could lower costs of production dramatically.

The concept of spray-on solar cells is by no means a new approach – the Australian National University has been working on one for the past three years. The University of Texas at Austin team led by engineer Brian Korgel uses copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) as the main component for the ink used to manufacture the solar cell. This nanoparticle ink allows manufacturers to completely deviate from the conventional expensive method of solar cell production. Using this ink, solar cells can be made through a roll-to-roll printing process, similar to how newspapers are printed. Plastic substrate and stainless steel are a couple of possible bases for the printing.