Plastic solar power
Group invents cells that could decrease cost of energy, if they last
By Natalie Banach
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Harnessing the power of the largest celestial object
in the universe is not just the stuff of science
fiction - it may soon become an efficient way to power
everything from cell phones to Las Vegas casinos.
Showcasing their work in the most recent issue
of Nature Materials, professor of materials science
and engineering Yang Yang, postdoctoral researcher
Gang Li and graduate student Vishal Shrotriya have
created a new type of solar cell that they say may
revolutionize the way many think of solar power.
In response to the world's growing dependency on natural
gas and fossil fuels, solar power is being thought of
as an attractive solution due in large part to the fact
that the sun is the most abundant source of energy in
the universe, Shrotriya said.
The idea is enticing enough: Imagine being capable of
easily capturing the sun's rays, translating them into
power and creating a clean, environmentally-friendly
energy source without any harmful by-products.
In fact, an area slightly larger than the size of
Maryland - 160 miles long by 160 miles wide - completely
covered with solar panels could power all of the United
States, Li said. Currently, solar power provides less
than one percent of the world's energy.
But before residents and industries begin installing solar
panels onto their homes and businesses, there is at least
one forboding obstacle - money.
The cost of solar power per kilowatt is at least four times
that of coal or natural gas. And while the price of solar
cells is slowly decreasing, the solar module itself presents
a huge barrier to making the energy source affordable.
That is, until Yang and his research group came up with a
new type of solar cell made of the same substance as a
grocery store's plastic shopping bag.
The solar cell is similar to the material used to make
those plastic bags, and those things can be very
cheap, Li said.
For the group's solar cell, Yang uses a special type of
flexible polymer found in a variety of everyday plastics
and equates the process of making his cell to painting a
wall or a house.
A polymer, like a little bit of paint, can go a long way
to covering a large wall. Yang and his team hope that
their polymer material could be easily spread and coated
onto a substrate. This coated substrate would generate
electricity capable of powering anything that conventional
power sources do today.
About 90 percent of the current solar cell market is
dominated by cell systems made from silicon, which
unlike Yang's plastic cells are largely cost-ineffecient.
The appearance of silicon is similar to a wafer in that
a solar cells need to be put together piece by piece.
The process is tedious, and silicon is in high demand
for other uses.
The most popular use of silicon is to build computer
chips. From one piece of silicon you can build a lot of
computer chips, but it's not enough to even build one
solar cell, Yang said.
The high demand for silicon, the long refining process
and limited supply all contribute to its high cost,
which translates into expensive solar cells which many
do not find feasible.
Members of the UCLA research group say their plastic
solar cells could be a unique solution to the barriers
associated with using silicon cells, that is of course,
if they can ensure a long lifetime for their product.
The average conventional solar cell usually lasts for 20
to 25 years, but the life expectancy for the group's
plastic solar cell is decidedly lower.
Due to the low lifetime of the UCLA group's plastic solar
cells, the technology is now being looked at by industry
experts in an attempt to lengthen it. The target for the
plastic solar cell's lifespan is 15 to 20 years, and
Yang said he hopes to commercialize his cell within three
to five years.
The goal is necessary, scientists at UCLA say, because as
oil and gas prices rise to an all-time high and the
United States becomes ever more dependent on these
conventional energy sources, an affordable and efficient
alternative could solve many problems.
We hope that ultimately solar energy can be extensively
used in the commercial sector as well as the private
sector ... there are such a wide variety of applications, Yang
said in a UCLA press release.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=34416
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