Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new type of three-dimensional photovoltaic system which could allow PV systems to be hidden from view and located away from traditional locations such as rooftops.
In this system, dye-sensitized solar cells use a photochemical system to generate electricity. The good news is that they are inexpensive to manufacture, flexible and mechanically robust. The bad news is that their conversion efficiency is lower than that of silicon-based cells.
But there’s a way around that: using nanostructure arrays to increase the surface area available to convert light could help reduce the efficiency disadvantage.
“Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile,†said Zhong Lin Wang (pictured), a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. “Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.â€
Wang believes this new structure will offer architects and product designers an alternative PV format for incorporating into other applications.
“This will really provide some new options for photovoltaic systems,†Wang said. “We could eliminate the aesthetic issues of PV arrays on building. We can also envision PV systems for providing energy to parked vehicles, and for charging mobile military equipment where traditional arrays aren’t practical or you wouldn’t want to use them.â€
To find out more technical details about this new technology click here.
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Sounds like a really great invention.
In the article is says that they are inexpensive to manufacture. Does anyone know what the price is going to be in the stores?