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Day4 solar cell breakthrough raises efficiency by 35% while lowering cost 25%
Solar cells just keep getting better and better. Day4 Energy is the latest innovator, figuring out how to squeeze higher efficiency and lower costs out of its newest design, which the company says will be ready for market within 18 months.
Using a unique Day4 Electrode that doesn’t block light like conventional silver contacts, the Canadian researchers say they’ve increased solar cell efficiency from the usual 14 percent up to 19 percent, and lowered cost per watt from $4 to $3.
Now all they have to do is mass produce this tech while keeping those costs down. Team up this breakthrough with MIT’s new way of extracting hydrogen from water using solar cells, and that pesky energy problem may be close to solved, forcing those drill-happy oilmen to put away their bits once and for all.
Day4 Energy, via Technology Review
By SethEden at 12:45 PM ON 08/14/08
Except how long do you think it will take to produce 100 million solar panels with this new technology, then get all that stuff marketed, distributed and sold?
~Seth
By kdoherty@blackmont.com at 3:00 PM ON 08/14/08
should l purchase 1000 shares from my own account
By IsoTek at 1:42 AM ON 08/15/08
"Team up this breakthrough with MIT’s new way of extracting hydrogen from water using solar cells, and that pesky energy problem may be close to solved, forcing those drill-happy oilmen to put away their bits once and for all."
Yeah, like that is going to happen. First off after you improve the technology you gotta get people to buy it. I seriously doubt all those people that bought hybrids in the past 2 to 3 years are going to dump them all if the tech becomes available tomorrow. Meanwhile you can decide do you want to pay the evil Arabian oil men or the evil American oil men, because drilling is going to be the short term solution like it or not.
By Ian at 10:28 PM ON 08/28/08
great, so instead of $40,000 to power my home I only need $30,000.
Wake me up when they get to $3-$4 per Kilowatt.
By lwblack at 2:52 AM ON 09/09/09
I find it odd that people are against solar production as much as they are. Imagine this if you can. The goverment subsides farms NOT to grow crops. Instead of paying farmers NOT to grow crops, pay those same farmers to harness energy via solar cell farming. I dont know about you, but I at least like seeing something for paying farmers NOT to do their regular function but instead doing another important function. It can only make sense and at the very least, drive down the price of oil.
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lwblack:
I find it odd that people are against solar production as much as they are. Imagine this if you can. The goverment ...More »