Scientists Develop Solar Cell That Can Also Emit Light

An anonymous reader writes: "Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University have developed a solar cell that not only converts sunlight into electricity but also emits light as electricity passes through it. Tuning the composition of the solar cell enables it to emit different wavelengths of light (abstract), and because it is only about 1 micrometer thick, the material is semi-translucent and therefore could potentially be used in windows. The solar cell is comprised of the semiconducting mineral perovskite, which has been studied as a replacement for silicon in solar panels since 2009. Perovskite solar cells are not yet as efficient at energy conversion as silicon solar cells, but gains in this area of development coupled with cheaper manufacturing costs (10-20 cents per watt projected as opposed to 75 cents per watt with silicon solar panels and 50 cents per watt with fossil fuels) make perovskite a popular subject matter in the solar cell industry."

Comments

Infinite energy!

[kheldan]

o Solar cell that also emits light
o Sandwich it with a perfect mirror
o Short the leads together
o Infinite energy!

Re:Infinite energy!

[Anonymous Coward]

No, you got it wrong, it's to the tune of "O Tannenbaum"

O Solar cell, that emits a light,
O Sandwich it with a perfect mirror,
O Short the leads together, dear,
Infinite energy, and free beer.

Solar cell that emits light....

[Anonymous Coward]

Any solar cell will emit light ... if you run enough current through it.

Re:Solar cell that emits light....

[camperdave]

Any solar cell will emit light ... if you run enough current through it.

Ah yes! Reminds me of the smoke emitting diodes I used to play with as a young lad.

Pfft

[Hamsterdan]

That's nothing, while learning electronics as a kid, I invented a way to turn LEDs into Smoke Emitting Diodes...