Seattle Solar technology is among the fastest-evolving innovations the world has ever seen. And with so many people racing to find the next breakthrough, many fascinating inventions have appeared. Gold solar panels are one of the solar industry’s newest innovations. Could this be the future of solar?
Silicon Solar Cells
Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are generally made of silicon, which is one of the most abundant inexpensive materials on earth (think sand). The efficiency of silicon cells ranges from 6% to 30%, but standard panels on most homes and businesses hover around 25%.
Gold Solar Cells
It is possible to construct solar panels out of less common materials. In August 2018, researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan studied the efficiency of gold solar cells. What they found shocked their colleagues and the solar industry at large.
Professor Hiroaki Misawa led the experiment, which combined two layers of gold film surrounding a microscopic semiconductor. The layers trap the light, and the gold films work as mirrors, trapping more light than a silicon solar cell would. This allows the nanoparticles to absorb 11 times more sunlight than in a typical cell.
Professor Misawa’s team found that the gold cells’ efficiency was a whopping 85% – making this a groundbreaking discovery for the solar industry and clean energy revolution. For comparison, coal plants range from 33% to 40% efficiency. This gold cell breakthrough could propel the success of clean energy much faster than predicted.
Using gold solar cells is not expected to lower the price of PV solar panels or impose a substantial price increase. This new technology could reshape the growth of the solar industry – and it may happen sooner than we think.
Should I Wait For Gold Solar Panels?
No. The benefits of installing solar power are available now. The benefits to the environment are immediate, replacing dirty energy sources with clean solar energy. Join the clean energy revolution today; call Artisan Electric at (206) 557-4215 to schedule your free, onsite solar evaluation.
Citations
Huge Improvements in Solar Energy Efficiency Reported Using Gold Nanoparticles
24.7% Record Efficiency HIT Solar Cell on Thin Silicon Wafer
High Efficiency Low Emission Coal (World Coal Association)
Solar Power Myth vs Fact
Last Modified: December 16, 2018
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