News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

Scientists think that the actual technology state of solar energy panels is becoming old fashion. New solar cells have now been developed which harness solar energy without direct exposure of the sun. A new generation of solar cells does not require flat surfaces and can even generate electricity from indirect sunlight.

Countries with little sunlight see solar energy as an impediment to mass generation of electricity. This is about to change as new technology is making it possible to harness solar energy during cloudy days. Solar cells installed beneath walls, behind surfaces can generate electricity using this new technology. Vehicles could be charged without having a visible appearance of solar cells on their roof as they are embedded in the interior architecture but still effective.

The new generation of cells is based on the same primary materials used by telecommunication companies being fiber-optic. The dynamism of the technology makes it easy to integrate solar energy into various conventional items.

The nanotechnology with integrated fiber optics converts light into energy. The effect of having light bound in the fiber gets in touch with the dyes and then enables the conversion to take place. The current is then transferred by microscopic wires present on the solar cell.

These new solar cells have several benefits. They are flexible, resistant, cheap and environmentally suitable. However, the cells are indeed less efficient than the contemporary flat solar cells used. This is why, this new technology is not meant to replace flat solar panels; it is rather intended to supplement tools to capture solar energy.

According to Zhong Lin Wang from Georgia Institute of Technology, this is an alternative way to collect energy from the sun. The more alternative ways available to produce solar energy, the easier will it be to satisfy energy demands.

A prototype of 20 centimeter of the solar cells has already been tested. Larger cells are expected to be produced in the short-run. According to Wang and his colleagues, they expect that the new cells will be widely used in half a decade assuming that resources are provided to further perfection the technology.

References:
1. National Geographic
2. National Geographic; Video