Solar Power While You Sleep
Look like the future of solar? Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory think so. This sheet of plastic is covered with millions of nano-scale collectors that reach potential efficiencies of up to 80%! That blows current solar technologies out of the water. And it’s cheaper to make these cells, too.  They use common ingredients and can be printed on flexible plastics, like bags. Now, you ready for the good news? (yeah, it get’s better) These nano-antennae are tuned into infrared energy, which is radiated down on us all day by the sun and re-radiated back from the Earth at night. Which translates to the fact that these solar collectors don’t need their beauty sleep like regular solar cells. They pull overtime, day in and day out. Only problem? They haven’t figured out how to convert the energy into something useful by humans… yet. Well, when you get that covered, guys, put me on the customer list!
Filed under: Main on March 31st, 2008