On February 8th, 2012 the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, U.K.) announced that researchers at its Cavendish Laboratory have developed a "hybrid" solar photovoltaic (PV) cell which can reach up to 44% efficiency by utilizing a greater portion of the spectrum of sunlight.

The new cells not only absorb both red and blue light, but by adding the organic semiconductor pentacene the cells are able to generate two electrons for every photon from the blue light spectrum. Cambridge University Professors Neil Greenham and Sir Richard Friend led the team, which published its research in the journal NanoLetters concurrent with the announcement.

“Organic and hybrid solar cells have an advantage over current silicon-based technology because they can be produced in large quantities at low cost by roll-to-roll printing," notes Bruno Ehrler, the lead author of the paper.

"However, much of the cost of a solar power plant is in the land, labor, and installation hardware. As a result, even if organic solar panels are less expensive, we need to improve their efficiency to make them competitive. Otherwise, it’d be like buying a cheap painting, only to find out you need an expensive frame.”

The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

2012-02-09| Courtesy: University of Cambridge | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

Our editorial selection of breaking solar news is published at:
www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/top-solar-news.html