A lick of solar-power paint could see the roofs and walls of warehouses and other buildings generate electricity from the sun, if research by UK researchers pays off. The scientists are developing a way to paint solar cells onto the steel sheets commonly used to clad large buildings.
Europe is considering plans to spend more than 5 billion pounds on a string of giant solar power stations along the Mediterranean desert shores of northern Africa and the Middle East.
Technologies collectively known as concentrating photovoltaics are starting to enjoy their day in the sun, thanks to advances in solar cells, which absorb light and convert it into electricity, and the mirror- or lens-based concentrator systems that focus light on them. The technology could soon make solar power as cheap as electricity from the grid.
As demand for clean energy continues to grow, the solar industry forecasts millions of photovoltaic systems will dot the landscape by the end of the decade. However, a severe shortage of the silicon used in the systems threatens to dampen solar's growth.
A new material created at the University of Toronto could lead to clothing that can harness the sun to recharge cellphones and other devices.
Solar power these days comes from cells that turn light into electricity, but researchers are now working on materials that can crank out hydrogen.
Virginia Polytechnic and State University researchers have developed a large molecule, or supramolecular complex, capable of using sunlight to separate hydrogen from water. The complex could be used to produce hydrogen for clean-burning combustion engines and fuel cells.
Demand for solar power in the United States is beginning to climb, but now the supply of solar cells is plummeting as manufacturers ship their wares to more-profitable Europe.
The U.S. Army is funding research and development of flexible solar panels that will allow soldiers to power essential communications equipment while also reducing weight and their visibility to the enemy.
US researchers have made biologically based solar cells, which convert light into electrical energy, and should be efficient and cheap to manufacture.