Breakthrough In Solar Photovoltaics
The Holy Grail of researchers in the field of solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity is to generate it at a lower cost than that of grid electricity. The goal now seems to be within reach.
Source: The HinduA Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., founded in 2002, claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The breakthrough has come through the application of nanotechnology to create components via molecular self-assembly, including quantum dots (10nm large nanoparticles) as well as nanotemplates with structural order extending through all three dimensions.
In addition, Nanosolar has demonstrated that the three dimensionally engineered nanotemplates can be conformally coated or solidly filled with semiconductor paint to create ultra-thin solar cells with layers that are yet another factor 100x thinner than conventional thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells.
This allows a 10x larger surface area of these structures to be used to achieve a 10x increase in efficiency for such thin layers, thus making it possible to use even less material for similarly efficient cells. Conventional inorganic semiconductors tend to require intricate processing to ensure large grains of crystallinity (in the extreme case: mono-crystallinity) so that charges can travel hundreds of nanometres without getting trapped and lost (at internal crystal boundaries).
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As for these breakthroughs: I've been hearing about breakthroughs for the past 25 years. There have been few significant commercial releases, that is, hardware that is practical to use and is cost effective in the real world. In short, I'll believe it when I see it (outside of a news article, a PR release, or a laboratory).
@Primesuspect, bring forth the banhammer
There are already cars that can be powered only by the sun. It's only a matter of time (and cost) before the technology filters out from competitions into the mainstream. In fact, there is already at least one commercial solar car, the Venturi Astrolab. Sure, it's not the most practical thing, but neither were the first automobiles. The point is, the technology can be made to work, and it will. Provided we actually work toward it (and don't destroy ourselves before we get there).
Edit: Post was deleted. I am retarded.