Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Monday, October 20th, 2014

A Single Breakthrough That Could Cut Costs on Solar Energy by 25%

Author:     Annalee Newitz
Source:     io9
Publication Date:     October 17, 2014 | 9:00 a.m.
 Link: A Single Breakthrough That Could Cut Costs on Solar Energy by 25%
Stephan:   It is fascinating to watch solar technologies develop one after another. One can only wonder what would be happening if the government were really committed  to the transition out of the carbon era, instead of being controlled by carbon interests.
Credit: Ohio State University

Credit: Ohio State University

Costs on solar are coming down steeply, and now they’re about to get even cheaper. A group of chemists at Ohio State University has invented a solar panel that stores energy without an external battery. The self-contained tuner/capacitor panels are already being licensed to industry.

Above, you can see a scanning electron microscope image of the mesh solar panel, whose molecular structure allows oxygen to enter the device and assist in a chemical reaction that powers its onboard battery.

Ohio State University released a statement about the new devices, which they’re calling “solar batteries”:

“In the October 3, 2014 issue of the journal Nature Communications, the researchers report that they’ve succeeded in combining a battery and a solar cell into one hybrid device.Key to the innovation is a mesh solar panel, which allows air to enter the battery, and a special process for transferring electrons between the solar panel and the battery electrode. Inside the device, light and oxygen enable different parts of the […]

Read the Full Article