Silicon wafers are the heart of solar cells. However, manufacturing them is not cheap. Over 50 percent of the pure silicon used is machined into dust. A new manufacturing technique puts an end to these material losses, with raw material savings of 50 percent along with an 80 percent reduction in energy costs.
adminAdvances in ultrathin films have made solar panels and semiconductor devices more efficient and less costly, and researchers say they’ve found a way to manufacture the films more easily, too.
Vanderbilt engineers have discovered that adding quantum dots made from fool’s gold to the electrodes of standard lithium batteries can substantially boost their performance.
adminIn very cold climate zones, the wind can blow with tremendous force. But wind turbines have rarely been built in these regions up to now. The risk of ice formation on the rotor blades is just too high. But now, an energy-efficient heating system frees these turbines from the ice in a matter of seconds. It is only switched on when water freezes.
