You’re looking at the Applied Bacini Pegaso — one of the most productive solar cell printing lines on the planet — fabricating electrical circuits on both sides of a solar cell. And by productive, I mean 20 million cells a year, enough to power 10,000 typical US homes. More »
Even the most efficient solar cell loses a lot of energy in the form of wasted heat. But the electron-like particles that photons emit as they enter the cells could be turned into electrical energy, solving the heat loss problem. More »
Minuscule solar cells that can fix themselves using the same building blocks as plant cells have been demonstrated, with our old friend the carbon nanotube one of the key components that holds these self-healing power units together. More »
Plants are extremely efficient converters of light into energy, setting the bar for researchers creating photovoltaic cells. A team of MIT scientists believe they’ve created a synthetic chloroplast that can be broken down and reassembled repeatedly, restoring sun-damaged solar cells. More »
Scientists believe that fly eyes are perfectly shaped for manufacturing efficient solar cells. Specifically, copying the eye of the Blowfly would allow solar cells to “collect sunlight from a larger area than just light that falls directly on a flat surface”. More »
A Switzerland-based chemist who invented solar cells that mimic photosynthesis is the winner of a million-dollar technology prize announced Wednesday. Michael Gratzel invented low-cost solar cells that can be turned into electricity-generating windows, mobile solar panels and other devices. More »
Apple’s got more than one patent devoted to solar powered devices, and today we’ve got yet another. Patently Apple has dug up plans for a touch-sensitive integrated solar panel for media players. More »
