Dusting solar modules can be a magical move.
Now, a Turkish-based research team is experimenting with a more efficient way of turning sunlight into electricity.
Using computer simulation, the team divided a solar cell into multiple small units. Then they assembled them into a hemispherical, rather than flat, form. This allows for more light to be captured at different angles during the sun’s daily path.
Compared to flat cells, performance increased by between 36 and 66 percent, depending on whether the oscillations of the light were influenced magnetically or electrically.
Fields of application would be wearable electronic devices or building-integrated photovoltaic systems.
Buildings are also a useful heat source; surplus electricity, meanwhile, can be stored in carbon blocks.
