Re: More Efficient Solar Cell

[Jon Gabriel]

From: Doug Pensinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: More Efficient Solar Cell
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 10:11:15 -0800

Dan Minette wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Pensinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "New Brin-l Address" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 2:04 AM
Subject: More Efficient Solar Cell

In this months issue, Scientific American honored the National Energy
Resources Laboratory and Spectrolab " for constructing the most
efficient land-based solar cell.  ...the cells converted 34% of the
energy in sunlight to electricity beating the previous record by about
2%.  Equally important, Spectrolab used standard production equipment to
manufacture the cells and built them on a low cost base of germanium;
they are more than 40% more efficient than other mass produced cells."


An on line article is at
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2002/q2/nr_020521s.html

Maybe the future of solar cells _isn't_ that distant, eh?

Maybe, but I've seen press releases on new technology before.  IMHO, a
publicity blurb by a company trying to sell something should be taken with
a 3 pound bag of salt.

If there is an independent report; if there is an example of something on
the market right now, etc. then the credibility rises.

How much weight do you give to PR blurbs coming from companies in general?

Dan M.

Is Scientific American published by Boeing? This company was picked as a "technology leader" by SA in the December issue.

They also received an award from a non-profit, the National Energy Resources Organization, whoever they are. I did a web search and found sites that say they've received awards from NERO and other news blurbs that say certain congress people have addressed the Organization, but I can't find a website.

They don't have a website, but are located at;
National Energy Resources Organization
919 18th St NW Suite 450
Washington DC 20006
202-466-6535 / 202-457-0001
According to the State of Iowa's website press release section announcing their receipt of the Energy Conservation Award:
"NERO is a national organization that works to bring together representatives of U.S. industry and government with an interest in the development, supply and use of energy. Past recipients of the Energy Conservation Award include Dow Chemical Company, Xerox, and 3M."

In any case, it looks like more than PR to me.

And to me.

Jon

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