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MIT Chemist Investigates Electrons and Chemical Bonds to Enhance Sustainable Energy Solutions

Troy Van Voorhis remembers being jolted by the announcement in 1989, when he was in the seventh grade, that researchers had successfully demonstrated cold fusion.

25 Jul 2017

Non-Toxic Alternative to Replace Lead-Based Solar Cells

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the United States have used theoretical and experimental techniques to demonstrate how bismuth – the so-called “green element” which can be found right next to lead on the periodic table - could be used in low-cost solar cells.

19 Jul 2017

Nanomaterial catalyst has potential to improve solar energy storage

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland have developed a new material that acts as a catalyst within the electrolyser, potentially making such devices cheaper and more efficient in the future.

18 Jul 2017

Rooftop Concentrating Photovoltaics Perform Better than Silicon in Outdoor Testing Study

In a head-to-head competition, a concentrating photovoltaic system with embedded microtracking can produce more than 50% extra energy daily than standard silicon solar cells, according to a team of Engineers who field tested a prototype unit over two sunny days in Fall last year.

18 Jul 2017

Researchers Build Solar Cell Capable of Capturing Almost All Energy of Solar Spectrum

Researchers have designed and created a prototype for a new solar cell that incorporates many cells stacked into a single device capable of trapping almost all of the energy in the solar spectrum.

12 Jul 2017

Meniscus-Assisted Method to Create Very Efficient Perovskite PV Films

A new low-temperature solution printing method allows fabrication of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with large crystals projected to reduce current-robbing grain boundaries. The meniscus-assisted solution printing (MASP) method increases power conversion efficiencies to approximately 20% by manipulating crystal size and orientation.

10 Jul 2017

Study Reveals Air Pollution Reduces Solar Energy Output

Air pollution and dust are cutting solar energy output globally. According to a new research, airborne particles and their accumulation on solar cells are decreasing energy output by more than 25% in some regions of the world.

27 Jun 2017

International Space Station to Test New Form of Roll-Out Solar Array

Traditional solar panels used to power satellites can be bulky with heavy panels folded together using mechanical hinges.

21 Jun 2017

New Semiconductor Alloy Could Help Advance Next-Generation Solar Cells

Researchers from the University of Michigan have created a new semiconductor alloy that can capture the near-infrared light located on the leading edge of the visible light spectrum.

16 Jun 2017

New Computational Framework for Identifying Defects in Nanoscale Structures

In order to gain an in-depth knowledge of a highly complex system, normally we have to analyze its smallest constituents. For instance, for a better understanding of the universe, we look for faint waves or gravitational waves of light from the Big Bang. Moreover, to understand the very nature of matter, we fragment it up to the subatomic level and apply computer simulations to analyze particles such as gluons and quarks.

9 Jun 2017