Optical Furnace Bakes Better Solar Cells

Posted by timothy on Sunday January 1, 2012 @04:30AM from the might-as-well-be-walking-on-the-sun dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory just announced that they have found a way to create more efficient photovoltaic cells using 50% less energy. The technique hinges upon a new optical furnace that uses intense light instead of a conventional furnace to heat silicon to make solar cells. The new furnace utilizes 'highly reflective and heat-resistant ceramics to ensure that the light is absorbed only by a silicon wafer, not by the walls inside the furnace.'"

1 of 93 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Re:So, what? A month, six months, a year? by crispin_bollocks · 2012-01-01 05:02 · Score: 5, Interesting

I worked on an optical/ceramic-walled metallization furnace that started shipping a year ago. Apparently our US marketing people didn't come up with sufficiently catchy buzz to generate sales. I was laid off in September after documenting all the assembly procedures for our new plant in ... Shanghai :-(