Micro PV solar cells will change the way solar cells work
Sandia National Laboratory has developed micro photo voltaic(PV) solar cells that will change the way solar cells are used and applied. The tiny PV cells are the size of a piece of glitter and have the power of a normal six inch square PV cell.
The "tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells" are manufactured using microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabricating techniques. “From 14 to 20 micrometers thick (a human hair is approximately 70 micrometers thick), they are 10 times thinner than conventional 6-inch-by-6-inch brick-sized cells, yet perform at about the same efficiency.”
The small size of Sandia’s PV solar cells allows them to be mass produced using less silicon and less expensively. Clothing like military uniforms could me made with these solar cells built into the fabric allowing soldiers to recharge their electric equipment while they walk.
Because of the small size of the solar cells, the micro PV panels could have circuits built right in to allow the panels to act as mini storage units, inverters, etc.
Said Sandia field engineer Vipin Gupta, “Photovoltaic modules made from these microsized cells for the rooftops of homes and warehouses could have intelligent controls, inverters and even storage built in at the chip level. Such an integrated module could greatly simplify the cumbersome design, bid, permit and grid integration process that our solar technical assistance teams see in the field all the time.”
Fabricating these micro PV cells uses 100 times less silicon with fewer defective cells produced. Even if one or two of the cells are unusable, the rest of the cells from that batch can still be harvested and used unlike defective six inch solar cells. One ruined six inch cell in a batch will make the rest unusable.
Assembling the solar cells into solar arrays would be cheaper and more cost effective since smaller arrays would produce the same amount of electricity. Smaller and cheaper solar concentrators can be used for the cells and higher voltage can be gotten directly from solar arrays built from these micro PV cells.
The tiny micro PV solar cells will make collecting solar energy cheaper, easier, and more versatile. It should be a relatively cheap and painless procedure to put the micro PV cells into production, but as with everything, it takes time.
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