Archive for April, 2011
Solar power goes viral: Researchers use virus to improve solar-cell efficiency
Researchers have found a way to make significant improvements to the power-conversion efficiency of solar cells by enlisting the services of tiny viruses to perform detailed assembly work at the microscopic level.
Published Apr 25, 2011.
Read more: Science Daily
How to Make a Homemade Solar Cell
Sunlight is commonly acknowledged as the simplest source of energy and we have long realized this fact by utilizing the benefits of solar power. Fossil fuels are being depleted at an accelerated rate and are expected to extinct very shortly and solar power is being deemed a blessing for humanity. Solar energy provides numerous benefits to the people. The most beneficial reason of using this energy source is that it can provide the energy demands for everyone on Earth.
It’s also a natural form of power and it’s accessible in abundance and can be exploited with no hesitancy as compared to different forms of energy. When accumulating solar energy, there are zero pollutants being created. This can aid vastly in curbing pollution and global climate change.
Enough chit-chat, here are the steps to create a homemade solar cell:
1. The most important thing that needs to be done is cooking the silicon. Silicon is extracted from silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide is heated in an oven at very high temperatures in order for all the impurities to be removed. We keep repeating this process of heating, and eventually we finish up with 99.5% pure silicon. This is the standard purity that’s needed for making solar cells.
2. The following step in this technique is the crystallizing of the silicon. During this process silicon is heated up so that it melts then boron is added. This uncommon additive provides the electrical foundation in the silicon. Then it gets charged with positive charge.
3. At this point of process, silicon is in shape of blocks of metal. Then they’re cut into fine sheets. The thickness of the sheets should be in the range of 200-300 micrometers.
4. Now the sheets of silicon are engulfed into chemical water so that they can be charge with a negative charge. Then a layer of anti-reflection material is added. This is performed because it yields a black appearance to the cell that can help to maximize the solar power of the sun.
5. Finally, aluminum or silver connections are bonded on the photovoltaic cell so that they can be employed for carrying electrical energy.
For more detailed directions, go to http://www.squidoo.com/solarcabin for step-by-step pictures and a video guide on how to make a homemade solar cell.
Originally published here.
Justin R.
Charging
