Eco Factor: Revolutionary technology could lead to the development of hyper-flexible solar systems.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have made a three-dimensional PV solar cell around an optical fiber that can lead to the development of highly-flexible solar systems that can generate energy without actually being seen.
The research team hopes that their new technology would make PV modules foldable, concealed and mobile. Eventually it could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where nanostructures would convert it into usable electricity.
The dye-sensitized nano-converter is developed by coated zinc oxide structures that are grown on optical fibers. Though it could be used for large PV systems, the research team doesn’t expect their solar cells to replace silicon devices any time soon. But they do believe that the technology will broaden the potential applications for photovoltaic energy.
Via: CleanTechnica
