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Research Promises Full-Spectrum Solar Cell
nphillips writes "As is being here reported here, a serendipitous discovery was made that a single system of alloys incorporating indium, gallium, and nitrogen can convert virtually the full spectrum of sunlight -- from the near infrared to the far ultraviolet -- to electrical current. For if solar cells can be made with this alloy, they promise to be rugged, relatively inexpensive -- and the most efficient ever created. Solar cells so efficient and so relatively cheap could revolutionize the use of solar power not just in space but on Earth."
vaporware!
and I quote
"In MBE the components are deposited as pure gases in high vacuum at moderate temperatures under clean conditions."
Further
"If it works, the cost should be on the same order of magnitude as traffic lights," Walukiewicz says. "Maybe less." Solar cells so efficient and so relatively cheap could revolutionize the use of solar power not just in space but on Earth."
-- The morphemes of your disquisition are ascertainable, but they have eschewed an ambit of transpicuous exposition.
When the article mentioned being able to absorb near infrared light, I was reminded of my ridiculous idea to violate the laws of thermodynamics. Basically, you would need a solar cell that would generate power from infrared light. Use this solar cell to power a battery recharging unit. Place an uncharged battery into the unit, and put it in a dark closet for a year. At room temperature, objects should be giving off black body radiation in the infrared spectrum, so the wall of the closet should be emitting trace amounts of infrared light. So, with enough time, the trickle of current should recharge the battery. Therefore, I have taken heat energy, which is very entropic, and confined it to a battery, thereby decreasing the entropy of the system without expending energy to do it. I know this can't work, but I'm having trouble seeing why. Any ideas?