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Where are the 70% Efficient Solar Cells?
VernonNemitz asks: "Back in 1984 a patent was granted for silicon chip micro rectennas, which would convert visible photons into electricity in the same way that ordinary rectennas convert microwaves into electricity, at perhaps 70% or greater efficiency. Nobody could make such solar cells back in 1984, but we certainly can today, with sizes of antennas that would capture everything from infrared to the edges of UV -- and the patent has expired. So, where are they?" Currently the most popular type of solar technology is photovoltaics, however PV technology only has an efficiency of about 7-17%. With the potential gains claimed by the technology in the cited patent, has anyone even tried to build one of these units to see if it can live up to the given promise, or at least prove to be a technology than we should be exploring?
They keep me in the dark about these things :-)
All my previous sigs now look like this one, I wish they were permanetly recorded when used.
Anyone else get a sorta shifty feeling when they look at that word and picture the consequences of such an invention?
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
I don't think that rectenna is going to be in much sunlight.
Saddam is hiding them with his Weapons of Mass Destruction. Invade Now!!!
Hammer of Truth
"Why haven't you built one of these things? Chances are that's the same reason that they haven't yet been built."
90% of slashdot just simultaneously realized that these solar panels havent been developed because they are too busy looking at porn and playing warcraft.
There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
> They should threaten their enemies with windmills?
Notice anyone threatening the Netherlands lately, Wisebeing?
Who controls the British Crown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
We do, we do.
Who keeps Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the Martians under wraps?
We do, we do.
Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star?
We do, we do.
Who robs cave fish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscar night?
We do, we do!
Nanotech material, once they arrive, will of course make 90% efficient material practical.
What kind of nanotech material are you talking about? Little nano robots that run around catching photons IN their nano baseball gloves and pitching them into nano furnaces that run nano generataors?
If you want people to take you seriously, a statement like, "nanotech materials _may_ be able to produce 90% efficient material," is more reasonable. "of course" is just silly.
Yea, I say let global warming take its toll! We'll grow oranges in Alaska!
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
They're not windmills, they're giants! Charge!
I have know about this company for years. Lumeloid Solutions [polar-solar.com] claims their technology is theoretically capable of efficiencies of up to 80%.
Lets see. They claim thier stuff is theoretically capable of efficiencies of up to mumble mumble.
Wow.
Now I know it's got to be an oil industry conspiricy repressing this stuff. With credibility like that...
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
So what happens when these guys line up against the Maxwell's Demons in the Nano Series?
...is that they only work when we don't need to turn the lights on anyway.
They'll be playing with particles, but everyone in the stands will be doing the Wave.
Yeah, anything BOTH the nazis and the south africans did MUST be a good idea.