Many researchers and scientists committed to becoming energy independent have been working relentlessly over the years trying to improve photovoltaic module technology (PV), a panel with interconnected solar cells that converts the sun's energy into electricity. There have been many dramatic breakthroughs in PV module, but the five most promising advances in solar technology are:
Third-Generation Solar Cells - Traditional solar cell is converts the energy of sunlight into electricity through the use of silicon and thin films made of CdTe (cadmium telluride) and CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide). Both are expensive to process and mass produce. Third-generation solar cells are being made from variety of new materials besides silicon that is more cost effective.
Sensor Solar Panels - Unlike traditional solar panels, flat sheets of packaged interconnected assembly of solar cells, is shaped like a drive-in movie screen that automatically tracks the sun. This concentrated sensor technology amplifies the sun's power 500 to 1,000 times, generating 25 kilowatts of electricity at its peak hour.
Stirling Energy System (SES) - Using a more refined design, SES reduces the number of parts, making the system more robust while fitted better for the desert environment than the concentrated photovoltaic systems that needs water to operate. Stirling Engine uses thermal energy to heat a gas, which expands to push a piston. As the gas starts to cool, it contracts and cycle an engine. The engine has shown 30 percent efficiency, superior to the 20 percent of most current PV systems.
High-Performance Photovoltaics - Still in the projects by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), but expected to enable process of high-efficiency technologies toward commercial-prototype products aims to explore the ultimate performance of PV technologies to double their sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies. This project is still under investigation for a wide range of complex issues, initial modeling, baseline experiments and other advanced concepts.
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) - Also still under research by the NREL, focuses on the integration of PV panels into buildings during construction. BIPV would replace traditional building materials such as roofs, windows overhangs, walls etc. to improve the building's aesthetics, system reliability while reducing costs and utility transmission losses.
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