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Jackie Chan Discs Help Boost Solar Panel Efficiency

Posted by samzenpus on from the super-solar-cop dept.

wbr1 writes Apparently the pit pattern on a blu-ray disk is great at helping trap photons, rather than reflecting them. Applying this pattern to the glass in a solar panel can boost efficiency by 22%. Researchers at Northwestern tested this system with Jackie Chan discs. From the article: "To increase the efficiency of a solar panel by 22%, the researchers at Northwestern bought a copy of Police Story 3: Supercop on Blu-ray; removed the top plastic layer, exposing the recording medium beneath; cast a mold of the quasi-random pattern; and then used the mold to create a photovoltaic cell with the same pattern....The end result is a solar panel that has a quantum efficiency of around 40% — up about 22% from the non-patterned solar panel."

3 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Re:when dirty? by blackomegax · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The data density in bluray means that the pits are far, far, far, far too small for dirt to get stuck in, or on. Think of it like placing a pebble on a beach. There are pits between sand grains but the size disparity means it acts like a flat surface for most intents and purposes.

  2. Electricity vs. oil by crow · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Electricity and oil are both energy. You can substitute one for the other, though obviously there's advantages for certain forms in certain uses.

    For home heating, oil, natural gas, and electricity are all viable depending on the cost. Right now gas is the cheapest and electricity is, in most places, the most expensive. It would take a lot of progress to get electricity to be the most economic solution for heating.

    For aircraft, the weight of batteries rules them out.

    For cars, Tesla is proving that electricity is an option. I know that we just signed a contract for solar panels on our house to produce more than we currently use on the assumption that we'll need the extra production to power our next car.

  3. Re:Mass produce! by spiritplumber · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've had a solar bike for about six months, and it works fine for my needs (mostly grocery shopping and laundry). Now that it's winter, I have to occasionally charge it. It cost about $350 to put together.

    --
    Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.