Nanoscopic Solar Revolution Continues with New Research

ESPOO, Finland — A team of physicists from several international universities recently released a report on a new technology they believe will increase the efficiency of solar panels. Scientists from Aalto University in Finland, the National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics in Russia and the Australian National University collaborated to create what they call a “novel concept of efficient light-trapping structures for thin-film solar cells.”

The concept involves adding tiny nanoscopic bits of silver, arranged in a checkerboard design, to solar panels. The basic idea is that these structures will help trap more of the sunlight that hits the panels, increasing the efficiency of solar arrays. New fabrication techniques would allow tiny silver nano-antennas to be printed in the necessary design.

“Pieces of the film with printed nano-antenna arrays can be prepared separately from solar cells so that the price of every piece will be small,” the researchers explained in a statement.

Previously the goal has been to cut down on the amount of light reflected away from the panels by using non-reflective materials, but many new methods center around various means of using nanoscopic silver to trap light.

“We have demonstrated our nano-antenna arrays operate significantly better than the structures based on anti-reflecting coatings,” they added.

This strategy of capturing light, rather than cutting down on the amount that is reflected away from the panel, could lead to large improvements, as it will also help cut down on the amount of light that is lost by passing directly through the panel. While non-reflective materials help cut down on the light lost by bouncing off of the panels, it does little to help counteract this second category of light loss.

A research team at Duke University recently released a different approach, which involved using sprinkled nano-cubes, tiny little structures that can be scattered on top of a solar panel instead of being carefully arranged in a design like the international team’s process. Both plans revolve around using tiny pieces of silver to capture light. The Duke plan could lead to a more cost-effective process in the future but isn’t commercially viable yet, while the international team’s approach is likely closer to being affordable in the near future.