News tagged with photovoltaic cells

In solar cells, tweaking the tiniest of parts yields big jump in efficiency

(PhysOrg.com) -- By tweaking the smallest of parts, a trio of University at Buffalo engineers is hoping to dramatically increase the amount of sunlight that solar cells convert into electricity.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Jan 20, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (11) | comments 27 | with audio podcast

Researchers uncover transparency limits on transparent conducting oxides

Researchers in the Computational Materials Group at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have uncovered the fundamental limits on optical transparency in the class of materials known as transparent ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Jan 18, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Kaneka, imec develop high-efficiency heterojunction silicon solar cells with copper electroplating

At the 21st International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference, held on November 28 – December 2 in Fukuoka, Japan, Kaneka and imec present silver-free heterojunction silicon solar cells. The results were ...

Technology / Semiconductors

created Nov 28, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Crystal erbium compound offers superior optical properties, can enhance energy, computer, lighting technologies

Arizona State University researchers have created a new compound crystal material that promises to help produce advances in a range of scientific and technological pursuits.

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Engineers solve energy puzzle

University of Toronto materials science and engineering (MSE) researchers have demonstrated for the first time the key mechanism behind how energy levels align in a critical group of advanced materials. This discovery is ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Nov 06, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (11) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Solar concentrator increases collection with less loss

(PhysOrg.com) -- Converting sunlight into electricity is not economically attractive because of the high cost of solar cells, but a recent, purely optical approach to improving luminescent solar concentrators ...

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (9) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Self-organization gives rise to more efficient organic solar cells

Organic solar cells have the potential to convert sunlight into electrical energy in an economical and environmentally friendly fashion. The challenge is that they still work less efficiently than inorganic semiconductors. ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Oct 24, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

New record voltage for organic solar cells opens the tech to consumer electronics

Molecular Solar Ltd, a spinout company from the University of Warwick, has achieved a significant breakthrough in the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. They have achieved and demonstrated a record ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Oct 17, 2011 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (12) | comments 7 | with audio podcast

Silevo solar cell makers reveal product with best-ever claims

(PhysOrg.com) -- Silevo, the Fremont, California, photovoltaic solar module manufacturers, yesterday stepped forward to talk all about their technology for the first time and to say that it offers the best ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Oct 13, 2011 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 11 | with audio podcast report

Researchers discover technique to improve solar cell technology

A multi-disciplinary team of scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory has discovered a way to tailor nanostructures that could result in low-cost, high efficiency solar cells. The research appears in the ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Oct 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Colored solar cells could make display screens more efficient

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new kind of screen pixel doubles as a solar cell and could boost the energy efficiency of cell phones and e-readers. The technology could also potentially be used in larger displays to make ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created Oct 07, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

How to produce flexible CIGS solar cells with record efficiency

High-performance flexible and lightweight solar cells, say, on plastic foils, have excellent potential to lower the manufacturing costs through roll-to-roll processing and the so called "balance-of-system" ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Sep 21, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2

Organic solar cell breakthrough

NPL scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the metrology of organic photovoltaics – a solar power technology. The research demonstrated a new type of atomic force microscopy that can 'see' ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Sep 15, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

An electronic bucket brigade could boost solar cell voltages

If solar cells could generate higher voltages when sunlight falls on them, they'd produce more electrical power more efficiently. For over half a century scientists have known that ferroelectrics, materials ...

Physics / General Physics

created Sep 15, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 7 | with audio podcast

Innovative organic solar cell architecture sets new performance level

The Belgian research centre imec, together with Plextronics and Solvay, present this week at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (PVSEC) in Hamburg an organic polymer-based single ...

Technology / Semiconductors

created Sep 05, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Photovoltaic cell

A photovoltaic cell is a type of Photoelectric cell that uses the photovoltaic effect to generate electrical energy using the potential difference that arises between materials when the surface of the cell is exposed to electromagnetic radiation.

A photovoltaic cell is commonly used for detecting radiation (for example infrared detectors) or measurement of light intensity (for example in measuiring optical density) and chemical processes (for example Spectrophotometry) and for conversion of light to energy in solar cells.

For more information about Photovoltaic cell, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.