Scientists are always on the lookout for ways to make our world a better place, and one area they’re focusing on is solar energy. One idea in this area is to make solar cells more efficient by concentrating more solar light onto them.
They integrated this data into an electronic model to calculate the solar cells’ output. By simulating various scenarios, they could predict how much energy the solar cells could produce at various locations worldwide., however, revealed a surprising twist. “Making solar cells super-efficient turns out to be very difficult. So, instead of just trying to make solar cells better, we figured some other ways to capture more solar energy,” said Dr.
“We suggest a different plan that can make solar panels work well in lots of different places around the world,” said Baikie. “The idea is to make them flexible, a bit see-through/semi-transparent, and able to fold up. This way, the panels can fit into all kinds of places.”Furthermore, the researchers advocate the use of patterning the solar capture devices with the aim to optimise their arrangement for maximum sunlight absorption.