Have you ever seen more festive-looking solar cells? Looking like a microscopic image of snowflakes or ice crystals, these teeny-tiny photovoltaic cells are about the size of glitter – yet they produce the same amount of electricity as standard solar cells made from 6-inch square solar wafers.
From Inhabitat:
Perfect for soaking up the sun’s rays on unusual shapes and surfaces, the solar cells are expected to be less expensive, more efficient, and have promising applications in textiles and clothing.
Sandia Labs‘ stunning new solar cells are created using cutting-edge micro-electric and micro-mechanical manufacturing techniques, which ensure their tiny size and a small margin of mechanical deformations. One benefit to their miniscule size is that if a single solar cell in an array were to die it would only marginally reduce the array’s efficiency – compare that to conventional arrays where a large faulty panel can cause a huge loss in power production.
The implications for aesthetics and ease of use are astounding – solar cells this size make all sorts of applications possible. Plus, they’re already producing energy with 14.9% efficiency, compared to the 13-20% produced by off-the-shelf commercial solar modules. Definitely a promising development to keep track of into the new year!
Link [Inhabitat]
