Spectrolab designs highly efficient solar cell
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 16th 2007 12:05PM
posted Jun 16th 2007 12:05PM
While we certainly applaud the designers at Spectrolab for developing a solar cell that's reportedly "twice as efficient as typical rooftop solar panels," we're stifling most of our excitement until it actually leaves the laboratory. Nevertheless, the Boeing subsidiary has apparently cranked out a cell that utilizes metamorphic materials and is "designed for photovoltaic systems that use lenses and mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays onto small, high-efficiency solar cells." The unique semiconductors used are said to resemble ones that adorn satellites and planetary landers, and can capture three layers of the solar spectrum versus the single layer that traditional solar panels collect. Unfortunately, it seems that the eventual goals for this thing are rather ho hum, as the crew only expects the cells to hit 45-percent efficiency within the next six or so years. C'mon folks, you've already got alternatives at 40.
This technology should be mandatory in new home construction in the west and southeast where the sun shines most of the year.
It would be good if these things could be written by someone with a bit of education. For example, sunlight doesn't have "layers" -- the device does.
You are expecting intelligence from an editor who uses the trendy terms like "drop = release" and "lappie = laptop" and who uses every excuse imaginable to use HTML strikethrough.
You need to learn to read. The article's author wrote: "The unique semiconductors used...can capture three layers of the solar spectrum..."
Nowhere does it say "sunlight", but the light from the sun does have different wave frequencies (light exists as both particle and wave form).
"You need to learn to read." Actually reading is not the problem.
The problem is that sunlight (or the solar emission spectrum, if you prefer fancier words) does not have any notion of "layers." Anyone with a modicum of scientific education would know this and would then go to the source article to figure out what information this author has gotten screwed up.
In the article, we find that the cells "employ three layers of semiconductors." _That_ is what the author garbled into his nonsensical sentence about the "solar spectrum" having layers and his equally nonsensical notion that conventional "collectors" collect only one of these "layers."
Particles and waves have nothing to do with it. You can now go and stand over on the other side of the room with the rest of the scientifically ignorant.
Even an increase of one percent is a major change when discussing the energy efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels. You should educate yourself on the subject matter before spouting ignorant comments that scoff at these real advancements.
45% efficiency is a 12.5% improvement over 40% efficiency - that is quite a big deal. In sunny climes like So Cal, a house with its roof covered in these could probably stay off the grid year-round.
Even with a medium size roof and the inefficient panels available today, people can generate more electricity with solar than they consume... So no need to wait for more efficient panels! I'm in Southern California and am in the process of choosing a solar installer, and it appears it will be no problem zeroing out my electric bill.
I don't see any words being fancy nor am I ignorant to physics and science. You said "sunlight doesn't have layers", well maybe not in the fashion of layered cake. Sunlight can, though, be separated by frequency which is what the new device's layers accomplish. One could assume that the layers of solar spectrum the article stated as being select ranges of the total spectrum, although it may be false since I had not seen the original story due to lack of interest in solar power.
Every article Engadget writes is an incorrectly summarized version of another story, it's how the staff does things (half-assed).
For the hell of it: You can go and sit on my lap with the rest of my bitches.
You justify your inaccurate reply by saying that you didn't read the article because you weren't interested in solar power.
Then you made a mangled argument about why, in your opinion, solar emissions *do* have layers, when they really don't.
Nice try to save face, but next time you are reading an article you "aren't interested in", why not save everyone else the tedium of your comments?
Look at the chart's "layers" and get an understanding of different frequencies, fool.
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html
anyone else see a hamster's face in that picture in the mid-bottom left side?
YES!!! It's the Evil Solar Hamster, ESH!
Isn't there a group (I think working from a university in California, not sure though) that is able to synthesize crystals in different colors to collect even more of the spectrum. Then they just layer them on top of each other, and you have something like a %70 efficiency(Maybe it was higher, can't remember) the only reason they aren't being used is because there are too many flaws when synthesizing them, but the actual material exists, it's just a matter of perfecting it now.