Technology Discovered To Improve Solar Cells

By Author: GREEN TEK
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Australian National University has developed new technology that reduces the cost of solar cells and may revolutionize solar energy. This is very exciting as the sun one of the few natural renewable energy sources that can cope up with human demands in the long run. At this stage of our global warming crisis solar power energy is looking like one the most important inventions of mankind.

An hour of sunlight energy reaching our Earth's surface is already enough to produce a current of energy for the world to consume. People just have to be smart and efficient in where to use the converted energy. As of today solar cells technology is not cheap unfortunately, which is why many governments such as Australia have been heavily subsidising their use to make solar panels more accessible to an average homeowner. Eventually though solar power technologies should advance to the point where they can compete against the polluting & non-renewable fossil fuel sources we are mostly using now.

Solar cells convert the sunlight directly into electricity. The solar cells or photovoltaic cell contains a wafer of high quality ...
... and expensive silicon. And these thin sheets then have a process to undergo which is very difficult and can waste lots of silicon.

A new technology was recently developed by Australian researches that enable a quick and easy production of super thin silicon sheets that come in different shapes and sizes without any silicon to waste. This process is called Epilift. The Epilift process is compared to the concept of producing a lawn……. after you prepared the land, you then have to then place the seeds and then allow the grass to grow. Then you can harvest the grass and put it somewhere else.

Epilift only uses about 10% of the silicon required by the traditional method and this results in a great reduction of the cost of the solar cells. It also further reduces the cost of solar energy systems by producing wafers of silicon with properties that can increase the efficiency of the energy conversion process.

The Epilift silicon wafer has two important properties 1st, it is the optimal thickness for the solar cells. And 2nd it has a textured surface that more effectively deals with the trapping of the sunlight and prevents reflection.

In the Epilift process there is a silicon wafer known as "substrate" that is equivalent to the ground in the grass growing example above. This substrate is placed in a special solution that contains small amount of pure silicon, whereas an extremely thin layer of silicon grows above. Then the thin layer of silicon that grows above is carefully removed, so that it can be use in the solar cells. As this process is continuously done the substrate is always ready for another growth cycle.

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Solar panels have been really one of the great solutions for green-living but have you ever thought of the value of these solar cells? Green Tek to you some information regarding the solar cell cost that would be a very helpful information for you to learn. Discover more information about greentekindia.co.in on our site.