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Spheral Solar Technology Approaching Reality

Posted by timothy on from the top-of-my-car-please dept.

CactusMan writes: "A technology previously owned by Texas Instruments and then Ontario Hydro, Spheral Solar Technology is 'a low-cost alternative [to conventional solar cell technologies] involving flexible, lightweight solar cells comprised of thousands of tiny silicon spheres in an aluminum foil, which can be "formed and applied to virtually any curved or flat surface."' Automated Tooling Systems has just received $29.5 million (Canadian) to bring the technology to commercial viability. Read the article here or go directly to the Spheral site."

2 of 23 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Efficiency? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 3, Informative

    Looking around the net with google I found this link that indicates 8 to 10% efficiency. This is fairly low when compared to standard solar cells ( see CNN article ) which indicates 40% efficiency. Although spheral solar cells aren't as efficient, since they can be used in places where regular solar cells can't, any efficiency is better than none at all.

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  2. Re:Efficiency? 40% is BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    They're only getting 32% in the lab. Much less once a bird has shat on the device. They're using gallium arsenide - Bill gates could not afford to power his house with this stuff.

    The stupid thing about PV research is that more money gets put into chasing the percentages with wierd compounds rather than trying to achieve something that is useful.

    The Aussies have the solar challenge - a showcase for PV. Unfortunately, again, the focus is on spending bazzillions of dollars in making expensive cars - which does not help make PV a real-world energy solution.