Perovskites

[native pepper]

Here's an interesting article on new solar technology well worth a read, the article says it will be a big game changer for energy production. They are already producing cells and they will become available next year, may hold off on adding more panels to my house and bus system, until they come out and may wrap the bus in them This new technology could also dramatically change the EV market, they work just as well in shade or any light source, so they say.

"Solar energy is poised for what could be its biggest transformation in over half a century.

A group of materials called perovskites are being used to create the next generation of solar panels, which could eventually be twice as efficient as current models, and flexible enough to wrap around entire buildings."

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/14/ener ... index.html

[T1 Terry]

Until they make them in commercial quantities that would require major investors getting the technology peer reviewed, I'll threat this much like all the other "Vaporware" that appears on a regular basis. Someone makes something in a lab, then the spin doctors blow it up into something that hasn't been proven possible, then the media get hold of it and build a story very loosely based on fact and mostly for "click bait", the modern version of headline grabbing sensationalism. These stories often belong in the SiFi section, at best there was a discovery in a lab but getting it to scale up just doesn't happen in a cost friendly manner.
Remember when the federal govt mint was going to print plant based solar panels that would replace roof tiles much like shingles on the roof and power the cities of the future Turned out the efficiency was so poor it would require a very large roof to get the 1500w that was classed as a big system back then .......
Think about it, to get a positive and negative output would require a connective grid so the active layers that convert the solar energy into electrical energy, can collect it all together and present it for use via a negative and positive cable ..... how do you "print" that? Maybe a 3D printer could, but that doesn't make it cheap because of the number of steps involved.

T1 Terry

[native pepper]

There are some very interesting articles on Perovskite solar cells/panels, they don't seem to be like other claims as governments are involved and over the last 25 years, they have gone from producing about 2% energy to over 25% in 2018.

They admit that there are still obstacles to overcome, but the QU seems to have cracked it. I like to investigate these new innovations, because I don't believe there is a ceiling when it comes to converting light into energy, until you reach 100%. For every 100 claims, you probably end up with one decent workable outcome. That outcome normally revolutionises the industry, just like lithium is doing to storage. Lifepo4 still amaze me, after 13 and 14 years they still function 100% and I have 3 cells 14 years old, never been charged and they still hold 3.2v

There are more potent inexhaustible energy sources which we will tap into once they get over the restrictive concepts they still cling to. It won't be long before they realise that the speed of light, is one of the slowest energy forms in our universe.

When it comes to how perovskite cells can work via an inkjet printer seems simple to me, the printer would print positives and negatives at once, but there would be a linked separation between them, allowing for +/- configuration. After all, solar cell type panels are pretty ancient now, I got my first solar panels in 1980 and they haven't changed other than improved very slowly. Something new, more efficient, easier to use and usable on virtually any surface, that can generate decent energy in any light. Maybe perovskite us the next answer. All you'd have to do us park under a big street light and in the morning you're fully charged

I have this phantasmagorical idea that the best way for us to get unlimited energy, is to tap into the energy generated by our planets transition through space, it's orbit and rotation energy. Wasn't it Tesla that said he could collect electricity just by putting up some poles with wire at specific heights and distance produce electricity to run anything.

[T1 Terry]

The give away in the article is this bit

Researchers at Oxford PV, a company spun out of the University of Oxford, made a major breakthrough in 2018. By coating silicon with perovskite they achieved 28% efficiency. The company believes it can eventually reach 40%, or higher.

This article that is a bit dated puts Silicon solar single layer at a peak of 33.7% https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shockley% ... sser_limit however multi-layer cells have been around for quite a while. Designed to capture greater bandwidth of the available sunlight by aiming each layer at a differently tuned wavelength layer, a far higher efficiency can be achieved. Theoretically, an unlimited layer silicon solar cell can capture 68% allowing for losses and in non concentrated light. Very expensive and more a NASA thing than the average RV or house roof.
Far cheaper to either put up more surface area or concentrate the solar energy if the wave length that produce the most electrical energy and shed the frequencies that are non productive or filter them with blue light tuned cells and let the infra-red, yellow and red pass through. By using double sided blue layer cells, the blue light frequency that is reflected by the infra red/red/yellow tuned cells, the blue light tuned cells get a double hit.
As far as efficiency gains over the yrs, I have 7 x 70w Solarex panels that date back into the 70's. An array of 4 x 70w panels (280w) measures 2,000mm x 1475mm, the Tindo panels I just bought for this bus solar job measure 1985mm x 1000mm and produce 380w. That is quite a gain for mass produced panels over less than 50 yrs ... the price per watt nearly made me choke. From approx. $10w when I bought the Solarex panels at a "bargain" price, to below $1 per watt for these new Tindo panels made right here in Adelaide.

T1 Terry

[Mrcoolabah1au]

Wow time to get some new technology