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."

Comments

Re:Wow.

[bjn]

Efficency's not the main reason for the slow uptake of PVs as a viable alternative, it's the capital cost per unit energy generated is the problem.

Currently roof space is cheap, solar cells aren't. The big step is getting $/W down, not the W/m^2 up.

That said, ideally you want low cost _and_ high efficiency.

Re:Old stuff - Heinlein "invented" it years ago :-

[Tumbleweed]

I don't know if that's the same story or not, but I was remembering one where two scientists invent a full-spectrum solar cell, and the only way they can get it into the world without getting themselves murdered first, is to publish the specs openly and then collect royalties.

Heinlein - he da man! :)

As an aside, a much more feasible way of vastly reducing our dependency on fossil fuels would be to switch everything feasible over to biodiesel. A lot less pollution, too, as well as better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines, plus the engines are simpler and last longer than gasoline engines (no spark system - diesel engines ignite during the compression process - no spark plugs, etc. needed).

Do a Google search for 'biodiesel' and enlighten yourself.

Tungsten

[Catskul]

There was article a little while ago about how they had created a new tungston crystal configuration that would adsorb radiation in a certain spectrum and re-emitt at another. In that case they were adsorbing infrared and re-emitting at visible to wildly increase the efficency of incandencent lights, but IIRC the article said that it could be tuned to a wide range of spectra.

What is keeping them from using this to adsorb the visible spectrum and re-emit at an effecient spectrum from converting to electricity ?