Stanford engineers develop revolutionary solar coating
Q. Stanford engineers including that of Indian origin have developed which type of coating to boost and cool solar cells and their efficiency?- Published on 24 Sep 15a. Transluscent
b. Transparent
c. Opaque
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Transparent
Stanford engineers Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering, research associate Aaswath P Raman and doctoral candidate Linxiao Zhu at Stanford University in US, have found a solution which is based on a thin, patterned silica material laid on top of a traditional solar cell to boost its efficiency and cool the solar cells. As the heat of the solar cells increases, they become less efficient at covering photons in light into electricity with can be used. Material of the coating is transparent to the visible sunlight powering solar cells, yet captures and emits thermal radiation or heat from infrared rays. In 2014, the same researchers developed an ultrathin material radiating infrared heat directly back toward space without atmospheric warming. For a typical crystalline silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 20 per cent, minus 5 degrees Celsius of cooling would improve absolute cell efficiency by over 1 per cent, a figure that represents a significant gain in energy production. The transparent thermal overlay works best in dry environments.
