Solar Power
Solar Power Innovation With A Virus
For many years now researchers and developers have worked towards improving current transmission within solar power panels. Leading this particular arena has been carbon nanotubes, but with two major flaws that have resulted in delaying expectations of this super-material.
Nanotubes tend to come in two different types, one that is metallic and that slows the transport of a current and the second type that acts as a semiconductor and increases the efficiency of current flow. Previous methods had to deal inefficiently with the clumping that takes place with nanotubes, while the new virus method helps prevent that and smooth’s the flow of current through the panel.
This process is brought about by using a genetically engineered virus, called M13, that normally infects bacteria, that aids the nanotubes in both separating into their two distinct types and in stopping them clumping together. Made possible by the use of dye sensitized solar power cells, instead of the normal silicon variety, researchers state they expect to continue to improve on efficiency levels, which they have already increased from 8% to 10.6%.
From the findings of two graduate students working at MIT, together with other prominent members of that illustrious faculty, the process of adding this improvement to solar panel manufacturing now involves the addition of only one step to the current process, thanks to the fact that the virus use allows these cells to be water soluble, which makes them much easier to apply to PV units. As the dye sensitized process is already commercialized in South East Asia, it should not be long before it becomes available in the U. S. Also.
Researchers speculate that this method could be used to build other forms of solar power cells, such as quantum dot cells or organically grown cells. With this addition of only 0.1% of weight to current cell specifications, in comparison to its increase in efficiency, its to be expected that this method will find its way into cell production very, very soon