Researchers at the University of Queensland have made a breakthrough in next-generation solar technology. It can potentially turn any flat surface into a solar generator.
The team, led by Professor Lianzhou Wang, has worked to harness the power of “quantum dots,” tiny particles that can exchange electrons and generate electric current. The definition on Wikipedia.
The team managed to suspend the points in a material that can be printed with one ultra fast 3D technique and applied to a surface, instantly transforming it into a solar cell.
The new class of quantum dots developed by the university is flexible and printable
Lianzhou Wang
“This discovery opens up a wide range of potential applications. There is the possibility of using this material as a transparent film that feeds cars, planes, houses and even clothes,” says the professor Wang.
Higher and higher
Previous work with quantum dots managed to generate an energy efficiency of 13,4%, but the current one managed to surpass that.
Our new record is 16,6%, an advance of 3,3% over the previous figure. And an improvement of almost 25%.
The energy efficiency of a solar cell is the rate at which it converts sunlight into electricity.
Standard solar panels on rooftops today have an efficiency of up to 22%, but Professor Wang said quantum dot material provided similar results with lower efficiencies.
“Because the quantum dot material makes better use of high-energy solar energy, it can actually generate double the efficiency of a traditional silicon solar cell.”, he has declared. “And because it can be easily printed, it will be much cheaper and flexible enough to be used for purposes that are impossible with a classic flat solar panel.”
The team is working with some companies to derive a commercially viable model, and estimates that it will do so between three and five years.
The QLED that sheds light and can feed itself
Since quantum dots could also emit light, a secondary goal of the research was to use it as a potentially self-sufficient light source.
On the other hand, quantum dots that generate only light (but no electric charge) are already used in the latest high-end TVs: they are referred to as “QLED”.
It will be very interesting to see the potential of future applications for this technology.
