We'll go ahead and hand it to
Spectrolab for crafting such an immensely efficient solar cell without regard to cost, but a team of Korean researchers have reportedly conjured up a rendition of their own that, you know, would actually be feasible to commercialize in the not too distant future. The team -- led by Lee Kwang-hee of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology -- has reportedly created a diminutive plastic solar cell that touts "6.5-percent efficiency," and while that number pales in comparison to
other alternatives, it's the pricetag that's of interest here. Apparently, existing
solar cells that use silicon semiconductors cost around "$2.30 to generate one watt of electricity," whereas this group's solution costs just ten cents per watt. Better yet, plans are already in motion to increase efficiency up to 15-percent, after which we could see these things hitting the marketplace at large "by 2012."
posted Jul 14th 2007 2:12PM
You know how many hours of Starcraft you could play off of these?
Now if only that group building the giant solar array in the California desert could get with these guys.
Isn't anybody else concerned that the date in the picture says 2004?
Not really. I mean that clock thing looks like its from 1992 anyway, and that doesn't concern me. :)
It's a clock they sell in magazines for businesses, then they put logos on them. I have a similar one on my desk.
It truly is a POS, but it has 12 MIDI alarms!!!11
Also the pinchers that are suppose to make electrical contact appear to be next to the cell's contact, seems they invented wireless electricity too!
I suspect that the clock reverted back to its original default date when the battery was removed to let it be powered by the solar cell.
"clock reverted back to its original default date when the battery was removed to let it be powered by the solar cell" - yep, that sounds about right.
uber cool
uber! just wanted to over-use that word too.
The real question is will it run Doom?
Good one Tom. Very original.
Indeed! I am utterly dumbfounded by your originality, Tom.
run a 60 watt bulb for $6
or
run 6 10 watt fluorescent bulbs at a 60 watt equivalent for $6
Sounds good to me.
60 watt normal bulb isn't equal to 6*10 watt fluorescent bulbs... you're supposed to measure the light output!!!
@ predator.z5
you really didn't read that right...he said run six 10 watt florescent bulbs (which give you the light output of a 60 watt regular bulb) because flor. bulbs are A LOT MORE EFFICIENT.
@SimbaDogg
Actually, predator would be right. 6 10W florescent bulbs would put off a LOT more light (measured in lumens or candles) than one 60W incandescent. That's why on the florescent package they tell you the true usage vs. equivalent output. For example, I use 15W florescent bulbs that each have the equivalent output of 1 60W incandescent (regular) bulb. However, it only draws 1/4 the electricity, making my electric bill cheaper. If you ran 6 10W florescents, holy crap, you'd be getting requests for landing clearance ;)
$6 for ONE bulb, for the lifetime of the panel though. Still, it shows why solar cells are not taking over the world. Too expensive at $0.10/watt, and ridiculously expensive at $2.30/watt.
What a non-story, non-event, waste of time (sorry to be negative). "hitting the marketplace at large "by 2012.".....says it all
Because we all know that the Mayans say the end of the world will be then.
Then what use will we have for solar panels?
your guna die in 2012, not that you care... yet
How long until the oil companies buy these guys out?
Eeeeeep!
Annoyingly stereotypical response.
sweet Lizzie McGuire! thems is cheap solar cells! (p.s. that was supposed to be an exclamatory term)
maby sollten Sie gerade Maul halten!
If there's one thing that Japan lags behind S. Korea, it is new battery technologies such like as diminutive 'plastic' solar cell and hybrid batteries; Japan was stuck at creating the 'plastic' solar cell that touts only '4-percent efficiency', according to the Japanese source.
The keyword in this article is "plastic". The high efficiency solar panels used now is mostly made of silicon. Now take the word "plastic" and think silkscreening this tech on anything you can imagine.
You're right, that is the most significant part, since the price per watt is cost competitive with wind and nuclear.
I would worry about stability of these cells. Historically, organic solar cells have had functional lives of less than 6 months, which means they must have had some serious breakthrough in efficiency and thermal stability.
"clock reverted back to its original default date when the battery was removed to let it be powered by the solar cell" - yep, that sounds about right.
Won't it be too late by 2012? I mean, discovery channel said that's when the world is gonna end according to the mayans, and a buncha other psychics. And if the discovery channels says so, I believe it. That channel is all about hard science. Besides John Hutchison can make batteries from dirt, and crushed up rocks, which I also saw on the discovery, so this is a moot point.