Photovoltaic Cell Harvests Energy After Sun Goes Down


New research paper "Nighttime electric power generation at a density of 50 mW/m2 via radiative cooling of a photovoltaic cell" from Stanford, supported by U.S. Department of Energy and the Strategic Energy Alliance program at Stanford University. Abstract: "A large fraction of the world's population lacks access to the electric grid. Standard photovoltaic (PV) cells can provide a renewabl... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 23


Rolling Out Solar Power...Literally An International team of researchers have developed solar cells that can be added onto a roll of flexible plastic in liquid form, bringing the same kind of economies of production to the solar industry as rolls of paper and ink did for newspapers more than a century ago. Using a roll-to-roll processing method, the team was able to achieve a power conversi... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 8


Light in lieu of wires In a development that could eventually lead to computers that use optics rather than electricity to carry data, Stanford engineers have designed and built a prism-like device they call an ‘optical link’ that can split a beam of light into different colors and bend the light at right angles. The optical link is a tiny slice of silicon etched with a pattern that res... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 2


Harvesting more of the sun's energy As solar panels become less expensive and capable of generating more power, solar energy is becoming a more commercially viable alternative source of electricity and today’s photovoltaic cells can only absorb and use a small fraction of that light, which means a significant amount of solar energy goes untapped. However, a new technology created by research... » read more