Employing nanotechnologies to precisely structure the materials used in solar cells, researchers are creating novel types of photovoltaic devices that could finally make solar power a broadly practical source of renewable energy.
|
ALL SPECIAL REPORTS
|
|
 - Solar Power at Half the Cost
-
A new roof-mounted system that concentrates sunlight could cut the price of photovoltaics.
-
A new mechanism for focusing light on small areas of photovoltaic material could make solar power in residential and commercial applications cheaper than electricity from the grid in most markets in the next few years. Read More
- Supplying the World's Energy Needs with Light and Water
- A leading chemist says that a better understanding of photosynthesis could lead to cheap ways to store solar energy as chemical fuel.
- Cheap Nano Solar Cells
- Carbon nanotubes could help make nanoparticle-based solar cells more efficient and practical.
- Cheap, Superefficient Solar
- Solar-power modules that concentrate the power of the sun are becoming more viable.
- A Sharper Focus for Photovoltaics
- A California startup, with strong venture backing, says it can slash the cost of solar power with its concentrator technology.
- Large-Scale, Cheap Solar Electricity
- A well-financed California startup is promising to build a solar-cell factory that could finally make solar power affordable.
- More Efficient Solar Cells
- Researchers are using layers of silicon quantum dots to create ultra-efficient silicon solar cells.
|
|
 - Silicon and Sun
In his lab facing the Pacific Ocean, Daniel Morse is learning new ways to build complex semiconductor devices for cheaper, more efficient solar cells. He has an unlikely teacher: sea sponges.
|
- Making Gasoline from Carbon Dioxide
- A solar-powered reaction turns a greenhouse gas into a valuable raw material.
- Solar-Powered Hydrogen Generation
- Rust-based solar panels could make hydrogen cheap and efficient.
- New Solar Technologies Fueled by Hot Markets
- The booming solar-cell industry is driving investment in newer technologies that could make solar power as cheap as electricity from the grid.
- How To Build a Solar Generator
- Affordable solar power using auto parts could make this electricity source far more available.
- TR10: Nanocharging Solar
- Arthur Nozik believes quantum-dot solar power could boost output in cheap photovoltaics.
- Holographic Solar
- A novel approach to concentrating sunlight could cut solar panel costs.
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology