Clear photo voltaic cells can straight provide power from glass surfaces – Uplaza

A expertise that may straight cost a battery from a smartphone display has emerged. A analysis workforce affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a technique of supplying power straight from glass of buildings, vehicles, and cell units by way of clear photo voltaic cells. The research is revealed in PNAS.

Professor Kwanyong Search engine optimisation and his analysis workforce within the College of Power and Chemical Engineering at UNIST launched a brand new kind of clear photo voltaic cell and module with excessive effectivity whereas sustaining glass-like colorless and clear properties.

It has secured colorless and transparentness by introducing an ‘all-back-contact’ design that locations all of the parts of the photo voltaic cell on the again. It has achieved excessive effectivity and aesthetics that clear photo voltaic cells will need to have on the identical time.

The analysis workforce developed Seamless Modularization expertise that eliminates gaps between units with out utilizing steel wires. Within the current modularization methodology, the hole between units and opaque steel wires has solved the issue of damaging the aesthetics of clear photo voltaic cells.

The newly developed 16 cm²-sized clear photo voltaic cell module has excessive effectivity, starting from 20% to 14.7% in transmittance whereas sustaining aesthetics just like that of a single gadget. It has additionally succeeded in charging a smartphone utilizing pure daylight. It additionally proved the likelihood {that a} display of a small cell gadget can be utilized as an power supply.

“This study fundamentally solved the aesthetic problem of the existing solar cell modularization method through the design of the new device structure,” mentioned researcher Jeonghwan Park and Analysis Assistant Professor Kangmin Lee. “It presented the possibility that transparent silicon solar cells can be used in various industries such as small devices as well as buildings and automobile glass.”

Professor Search engine optimisation mentioned, “We have opened a new path for modularization research, which is essential for commercialization of transparent silicon solar cells,” and added, “We plan to continue further research so that transparent solar cells can become a key technology in the eco-friendly future energy industry.”