IBM study of conventional materials to product solar cell technology

Documents published in newspaper articles, said it was possible with conventional materials, a relatively efficient manufacturing of solar cells. Such cells may be from 9.6% of solar energy into electrical energy, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency higher than 40% of today’s technologies. ThinkPad R50 battery ThinkPad R51 battery

This conversion efficiency is much higher than silicon cells available on the market, and even comparable to the efficiency of solar cells in thin layers. IBM’s use of traditional materials for the manufacture of solar cells, such as copper, zinc, tin, sulfur or selenium. IBM said that solar energy technologies used in existing equipment often limited its development.

Companies in the solar industry announced they were using cadmium and tellurium thin-film batteries. GE also plans to begin selling next year, batteries cadmium telluride material. Some small companies like Nanosolar, HelioVolt and Miasolé in the production of copper, indium, gallium and selenium solar cells made of alloy material. ThinkPad R52 battery ThinkPad T40 battery

IBM researchers Teodor Todorov, Kathleen Reuter, and David Mitz that the defects mentioned above the battery is to use either the raw materials are scarce, or the impact on the environment. This means that these batteries need to consider the environmental costs. TJWatson Research Laboratory IBM Thomas Theis, director of physical sciences, said: “Of other equally effective battery contained in either very expensive or impact on the environment, or not much room for further improving the efficiency, which makes their commercial scale and large-universal access has become difficult. ” ThinkPad T41 battery ThinkPad T42 battery

Compared to conventional batteries, the benefits of thin-film batteries are to use the equipment is relatively low. IBM solar cells can be used to produce manufacturing techniques at high speed, such as “Rolling Manufacturing Technology” (roll-to-roll manufacturing). U. S. National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy researcher Matthew Beard participated in the research project of IBM, this technology is a breakthrough. ”

Scientists expected that if the technology can achieve a breakthrough, get 12% of the photoelectric conversion efficiency, resulting in economic costs to completely replace the products of existing solar energy. ThinkPad T43 battery ThinkPad T60 battery