Scientists at Stanford are exploring an unusual method of increasing solar cell efficiency – they’re using hollow silicon spheres to help trap the light that would otherwise be reflected. Trapping the light in this manner allows more of it to ultimately be absorbed, increasing overall effectiveness. You can even stack up multiple layers of these tiny spheres to further improve efficiency. Hard to say if and when this will make it to the commercial market, but it does help show there’s a lot of research going into solar energy…a future without fossil fuels is an ever-increasing probability. (via Gizmag)
Light-trapping nanoshells
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