Actually, Solar Power Does Just Grow On Trees

solar power cellulose

New research suggests that plant material could play a role in producing truly green solar cells – for one thing, you might be able to recycle them in water. Read more →

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SunShot Looks To Close The Solar Efficiency Gap

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The U.S. is offering up $12 million in new research funding aimed at bringing solar cell efficiencies closer to the “Shockley-Queisser Limit." Read more →

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Solar Efficiency Of 50% Could Be In Sight

solar cell efficiency naval research laboratory

U.S. Naval Research Lab scientists and collaborators says a new triple-junction solar cell could break the 50 percent conversion efficiency barrier. Read more →

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Bright Solar Insights From The Deep Dark Ocean

Structure of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex (image via Alex Chin/Cambridge University)

Pointing to bacteria that live a mile below the ocean surface, scientists say quantum scale photosynthesis in biological systems could hold a key to new solar energy designs. Read more →

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Solar Efficiency Record: OMG, Government Helped!

Manufacture high-efficiency Solar Junction concentrator solar cells. (image via Daniel Derkacs/Solar Junction)

That 44 percent solar efficiency record? It took government and private enterprise working together to make it happen. Read more →

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First All-Carbon Solar Cell Could Offer Price Breakthrough

stanford carbon solar cell

Stanford researchers say they've made the first all-carbon solar cell – now they just need to work on that 1 percent efficiency issue. Read more →

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MIT Miracle Glass Keeps Itself Clean

self-cleaning-glass

MIT researchers have created a glass whose rough finish – at least at the microscopic level – helps keep it clean, glare-free and fog-resistant. Read more →

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Solar Efficiency Gurus: Alta Devices Explored

Alta Devices Solar Cell

Scientists at UC Berkeley created solar cells with improved efficiency, but not because they absorb light better—because they emit it better. Read more →

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SunPower’s Record-Breaking Cell In Production

image via SunPower

SunPower says its third-generation Maxeon solar cell, with an efficiency of 24 percent, is now being integrated into some panels. Read more →

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Black Silicon Solar Gets Natcore, NREL Focus

natcore-nrel

The U.S. Department of Energy wants to make black silicon using less heat, and NREL is collaborating with Natcore's revolutionary technology to do it. Read more →

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