Sorting Sunlight by Color Boosts Solar Panel Efficiency

Jan-02-13 Solar cells tuned to absorb specific colors of light could lead to solar panels with an efficiency of up to 50 percent.

The project, funded by DARPA, involves using nanomaterials to decompose sunlight into wavelengths that correspond to specific colors. The waves are then aimed at solar cells tuned to absorb each particular color at maximum efficiency.

Researchers have already succeeded in manipulating light on a small scale by using thin layers of material with some features smaller than the wavelengths of light. The next step is to bring these nanomaterials to the larger scale that would be required for use in the solar industry.

Image: Richard McMillan

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[TREEHUGGER.COM]
[MIT]

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