DSSC
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Michael Grätzel, inventor of the dye-sensitized solar cell, wins 2010 Millennium Technology Prize (video)
In 1991, a pair of scientists published a paper in Nature, detailing a intriguing new discovery: the dye-sensitized solar cell. Today, one of them won €800,000 for his efforts, and the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize. Michael Grätzel accepted the award for the low-cost solar cells that often bear his name, and which make possible the sunglasses, windows and iPhone patents we seem to spot every few days. Hear the good professor speak about his invention in a video after the break.
Pink solar cells provide green power on the cheap
The race to build a cheaper solar cell continues to produce results, as researchers at Ohio State have developed a nanotech solar cell with a unique pink color that they say will one day be able to produce as much power as traditional silicon cells for a quarter of the cost. The dye-sensitive solar cells, or DSSCs, get their pink color from a mixture of ruthenium and either titanium or zinc oxide particles that absorb sunlight, while nanowires link the particles to provide power transfer. So far the team have gotten the cells to produce half as much power as traditional cells, but the next step is to start using nanowire "trees" to improve efficiency to equal or surpass those levels. No word on when we'll see this tech hit the market, but surely the prospect of a hot pink solar Cadillac isn't too far off.[Photo is of an unrelated DSSC concept from New Zealand]
