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Altered Organism Triples Solar Cell Efficiency

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the shiny-happy-algae dept.

An anonymous reader writes "By harnessing the shells of living organisms in the sea, microscopic algae called diatoms, engineers have tripled the efficiency of experimental dye-sensitized solar cells. The diatoms were fed a diet of titanium dioxide, the main ingredient for thin film solar cells, instead of their usual meal which is silica (silicon dioxide). As a result, their shells became photovoltaic when coated with dyes. The result is a thin-film dye-sensitized solar cell that is three times more efficient than those without the diatoms."

5 of 158 comments (clear)

  1. Re:120% efficiency! by Red+Flayer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, with the "breakthrough" a few months ago that three different dyes in a cell could capture 40% of light from the sun, does that make this more efficient than coal?

    From an energy standpoint, direct solar has ALWAYS been more efficient than coal. How much sunlight do you think was needed to create the coal we burn? How much energy do we use to extract and refine it (when necessary)?

    More cost-effective? That's a different matter, and impossible to calculate since we can't even properly measure the true costs of burning coal for electricity.

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  2. an industrial waste angle. by bombastinator · · Score: 5, Interesting

    titanium dioxide is the main pigment base in modern (but not pre-70's) white paint. While titanium is not a particularly cheap metal, paint chips are something that is actually hard to get rid of. I wonder if they could be fed on waste drywall stripped from homes. that's basically paint, paper, and gypsum.

  3. Re:Just had to ask... by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's too bad they used Titanium instead of Lithium. We could have had DyeLithium Crystal solar power

  4. Re:When can I buy them? by BikeHelmet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You don't have to buy them. You can get titanium dioxide from donuts and use that to enhance your solar cells.

    Our food really is filled with crap!

  5. Re:Anyone else notice? by vadim_t · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There's nothing wrong with fishing for more funding.

    The important thing isn't the efficiency, but the price/performance ratio.

    1% efficient cells that are dirt cheap still aren't worth installing on your roof.
    95% efficient cells at $50K per square meter are only of interest for satellite applications.

    But, a 30% efficient cell that's reasonably cheap is a whole lot more interesting than a 40% one that costs 5 times as much. Taking a cheap 10% efficient tech and making it 3 times better without making it 3 times more expensive is a very useful thing.