Solar development 'may lead to change in green collar training'
A discovery by scientists in the US may change the way in which people undergoing green collar training are taught.
The researchers have found a way of making solar cells with a fraction of the material usually needed to create them.
Their eventual aim is to produce thin, light solar cells that could be incorporated into such things as clothing, but the immediate benefit is to produce cheaper and easier-to-install panels on buildings.
Led by Harry Atwater at the California Institute of Technology, the team have shown that less silicon is needed if wires are used rather than wafers to harvest the light from the sun.
Responding to the development, a spokeswoman for the RenewableEnergyCentre.co.uk noted that the flexible silicon wires would enable easier installation.
However, the output is the same as current technology, which could be "cost prohibitive" when deciding whether to take the product to the consumer market, she added.
Posted by Mark Thompson
22 Feb 2010 11:23am