Solar Power World

University of Minnesota Researchers Clear Major Hurdle in Road to High-efficiency Solar Cells

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN — A team of University of Minnesota-led researchers has cleared a major hurdle in the drive to build solar cells with potential efficiencies up to twice as high as current levels, which rarely exceed 30 percent.By showing how energy that is now being lost from semiconductors in solar cells can be captured and transferred to electric circuits, the team has opened a new avenue for solar cell researchers seeking to build cheaper, more efficient... Read More

Solar Alternatives for Energy Generation

By John R. Gyorki, Editorial Director Theoretical scientists have discovered many techniques for converting sunlight into electric energy, but only photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems show the most promise for practical applications.It’s always fun and interesting for engineers to focus on the technical development of emerging technologies such as solar energy and specifically, photovoltaics. But we often tend to forget the influence of... Read More