Solar Cells and Nanotechnology

Using nanoparticles in the manufacture of solar cells has the following benefits:

Reduced manufacturing costs as a result of using a low temperature process similar to printing instead of the high temperature vacuum deposition process typically used to produce conventional cells made with crystalline semiconductor material.
Reduced installation costs achieved by producing flexible rolls instead of rigid crystalline panels. Cells made from semiconductor thin films will also have this characteristic.
Currently available nanotechnology solar cells are not as efficient as traditional ones, however their lower cost offsets this. In the long term nanotechnology versions should both be lower cost and, using quantum dots, should be able to reach higher efficiency levels than conventional ones.

Solar Cells: Nanotechnology Applications under Development

Nanoparticles in plastic film to form solar cells that can be incorporated into cases for devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers.

Semiconductor nanoparticles in a low temperature printing process that results in low cost thin film for large scale installations.

Using light absorbing nanowires grown on a flexible film is another method being developed to produce low cost flexible solar panels.

Company	Materials Used
Konarka	Nanoparticles imbedded in plastic film
Nanosolar	Copper-Indium-Diselenide semiconductor ink
Global Photonics	Organic
Innovalight	Silicon nanocrystalline ink
Bloo Solar	"Nano-cables" grown on a thin film material

Researchers at the University of San Diego how to use nanowires to improve the efficiency of thin film solar cells. 5/18/08

Researchers at the National Renewal Energy Laboratory demonstrate that silicon quantum dots can generate multiple electrons for each photon of light; another possible way to make more efficient solar cells. 8/15/07

Researchers at Rice University demonstrate high yield process for making tetrapod quantum dots; which are very efficient at converting energy from sunlight into electricity. 5/4/07

Researchers demonstrate how carbon nanotubes can increase the efficiency of nanoparticle-based cells. 2/28/07