14 DAY TRIAL // Although solar power is most likely our best bet for the future of renewable energy, the truth of the matter is that, for the time being, the level of efficiency delivered by solar panels is still rather limited, compared to their full potential that, however, might actually be a lot closer, due to a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology developed by a company called Solar3D.
As Solar3D informs us, their 3-D solar cell technology is directly inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices.
For this reason, it employs a 3-dimensional design to literally “trap” sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons.
For the time being, however, 3-D solar cell technology is just in experimental phase, but the company plans to have a working prototype ready by the end of 2011.
“It is exciting to see scientific theory become a reality. We are re-engineering the solar cell from scratch to make a next generation product that is much more efficient than existing technology. But equally important is that we are creating a design that will be compatible with existing fabrication processes and mass production facilities. Hence, we will get a compounded impact onlowering the cost per watt of solar photovoltaics,“ Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D, commented.
“We have a passion for the process. By combining micro-photovoltaics with advanced light management technology and production engineering into a novel 3-dimensional solar cell, we believe that affordable access to the power of the sun will be a reality,” Mr. Nelson concluded.
Of course, we're eagerly looking forward for this technology to become a reality, simply because it will enable a lower level of dependency on fossil fuels, not to mention some serious advancements as far as devices using such panels are concerned (including here electric vehicles, for example).