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Graphene could bring solar PV efficiency to 60%

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GrapheneAccording to TreeHugger, graphene could offer 60% solar cell efficiency if it were to replace silicon in PV panels. As they note : ” Researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Spain have just published results from their experiments.”

” While their results so far will probably be more useful to make better image sensors, they still show promise for third-generation solar cells which could, in theory, reach efficiencies in the range of 60% (!),“

As current efficiency levels for commercial panels are below 20 percent, you can imagine the boost this could be to solar. As a matter of fact, when it will happen, it will bring a total paradigm shift.

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Will molybdenite be better than graphene ?

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As CleanTechnica recently noted : ” A serious challenger has emerged to take on graphene’s title as the miracle material of the 21st century, and that is a common, silvery looking mineral called molybdenite. (…) The lead researcher asserts that compared to conventional silicon transistors, a molybdenite transistor would use about 100,000 times less energy … Read more

Battery breakthroughs for electric vehicles

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electric-car-charge-plugMany are working on extending the range of electric cars. Here are three of them. Firstly TreeHugger believes that replacing the  graphite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries with silicon nanotube electrodes,would multiply the range by ten.

ArsTechnica notes that carbon nanotubes in ultracapacitors ” may make sense in electric cars, even if it can’t store as much as a battery.” Thirdly, IBM is launching a project to enable electric cars to have a range of 500 miles (800 km).

Extending the current range of electric vehicles and cutting the costs of batteries are the two necessary steps to allow mass market commercialization.

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