New, Cost Effective Solar Energy Devices from MIT
No more solar cells covering a roof, but around the edges of a flat glass panel, as shown in the artist’s representation by NSF.
MIT engineers say they’ve created a new approach to harnessing the sun’s energy that provide windows with a clear view and illuminate rooms at the same time without the need for tracking devices.
According to a news release from MIT , the solar concentrator collects light at the edges, and dye molecules coated on the glass absorb sunlight and re-emits it at different wavelengths. The light is trapped within the glass and transported to solar cells along the edge, creating electricity and allowing light into the room as well.
The mixture of dyes is applied to the surface of the glass and allows light to travel a much longer distance. Mapel said, that as a result, light transportation losses were significantly reduced, resulting in a “tenfold increase in the amount of power converted by the solar cells.”
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Marc A Baldo, leader of the work, is quoted as saying; “the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell by a factor of over 40″. The article went on to say that because of its simplicity and ease of manufacture, the system could be implemented within three years. It could even be added to existing solar-panel systems, increasing their efficiency by 50 percent for minimal additional cost.
Other researchers involved in the project are Michael Currie, Jon Mapel and Timothy Heidel, all students of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Shalom Goffri, a postdoctoral associate in MIT’s Research Labortary of Electronics.
The new technology will be developed and commercialized by a new company, Covalent Solar, formed by Mapel, Currie and Goffri.
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It looks like low-cost, highly efficient solar may be coming to your home soon.
[...] The ground breaking ceremony for the Alamosa solar plant took place in April 2007, and the system was activated two weeks ahead of schedule in December. The facility is located on approximately 80 acres of land in Colorado
i want to setup a solar power project in INDIA. so looking for project reports. can some 1 help . mail me at jainshailesh@hotmail.com
Sounds Great! I’m still waiting on the solar conductive nano-paint and Tree charging Batteries to hit the market; but untill then, photovoltaics, thermal, wind, gravity, etc. using 2 reversable H2 fuel cells as a storage and production; or Edison’s idea of delivering steal plates and acid to ones home may be the direction we aught to go for now. At least we can all agree something needs to be done about our nation and the worlds energy situation. Thanks again MIT for the wonderful work!
how do i get more info on the use of solar for my home—where are your outlets for this product ???
Hi, iam from India and feel that solar thermal method to produce steam and then electric current to be the most cost effective way to beat the rising oil prices .the only thing is the commercial production of the MIT RAW solar concentraters when will they be ready ? and when can i buy them?? please someone help!! Feb. 7th 2009
Wow sounds really cool! Anyone know any good science fair projects? :S
-Chloe M
Love&Peace<3
What will be the cost of solar pannel for producing 5-10 kilowatt electricity & how much area it will aquire . I m from india so tell me also business opportunity of solar pannels and shiping cost & cost of pannel in INR. Waiting for your responce.
Solar energy is the best option of electricity in india it should be pramote in india as electricity is a major problem of india so you peoples should think about this.
I get so tired of all these new “breakthroughs” that quickly disappear. In 2011, let’s all check the marketplace and see if this “affordable solution” is available and at a reasonable cost. I’ll bet you that it isn’t. You see, as the article says, 3 students are sudddenly going to become entrepeneurs and make a fortune off their discoveries, but that’s part of the problem. Three people with three different ideas of how to market this fantasy product. They probably have no business or marketing skills, so the business fails and so does this “revolutionary breakthrough”.