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Hairy Solar Cells Could Mean Higher Efficiency

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the warm-fuzzy dept.

kitzilla writes "Two research groups working independently have come up with what they say are cheap processes for growing nanowires to be used with solar cells. The 'hairy' cells provide a direct path for electrons collected at the panel face to reach an electrode, something which has the potential to dramatically improve system efficiency."

1 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Anonymous Coward by QuasiEvil · · Score: 5, Informative

    AC's got it right. For those who are TLTRTFM (Too Lazy To ...), what the poster should have said is that they help channel charge carriers away from the junction so that they don't immediately recombine. *That* is one of the holy grails of PV design, and one of the reasons that current production cells are incredibly inefficient.