solar3d

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  • 3D, light-trapping solar cells successfully fabricated by Solar3D

    by 
    Terrence O'Brien
    Terrence O'Brien
    07.17.2012

    Solar3D probably isn't a company you're particularly familiar with... at least not yet. The California-based manufacturer has just successfully fabricated a three dimensional solar panel that traps sun light in nano-scale wells on a silicon wafer. Perhaps most exciting, the prototype panel was built using off-the-shelf tech from Panasonic, meaning that the price of mass production shouldn't be prohibitively high. More testing is needed, but the resulting panels should be up to 50 percent more efficient than current generation 2D ones. For a few more details, check out The PR after the break.