Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough

Mon, 29 Jan 2007
Summary:

Recently in President Bush’s State of the Union speech, our faithful leader claimed that we are on the verge of techonological breakthrough which will lead us to live less dependant on foriegn oil, become better environmental stewards and live more sustainably.
Nanotechnology is delivering this crutch to the Hummer driving, overconsuming citizens of the world.

[Posted By Merlin]
By Stefan Lovgren
Republished from National Geographic News
Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that can turn the sun's power into electrical energy, even on a cloudy day.

The plastic material uses nanotechnology and contains the first solar cells able to harness the sun’s invisible, infrared rays. The breakthrough has led theorists to predict that plastic solar cells could one day become five times more efficient than current solar cell technology.

Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogenpowered car painted with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity to continually
recharge the car’s battery.

The researchers envision that one day “solar farms” consisting of the plastic material could be rolledacross deserts to generate enough clean energy to supply the entire planet’s power needs.

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