Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently announced their findings. They said that using the new semiconductor materials they developed will enable solar cells to absorb more sunlight energy, which in turn will translate into more electricity.
Using existing solar cell technology, only 15% of solar energy can be converted into electricity. This is because the solar rays that shine on the solar cells have different wavelengths, and only those rays that are suitable for solar cell absorption will be converted into electricity. Understand this principle, the scientists have to do is to add solar cells to different raw materials to absorb different wavelengths of light.
If three different materials can be mixed into a solar cell, it is possible to convert 30% of the solar energy into electricity. However, under current technical conditions, it is very expensive and difficult to operate. Therefore, this hybrid semiconductor material is currently only used in equipment such as satellites. Although scientists have long believed that a single semiconductor material can absorb more solar energy, it cannot produce such a product.
But not long ago, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States have made the latest progress in the issue of absorbing more light energy from a single semiconductor material. They made alloys of zinc, manganese, and yttrium. This material can absorb 3 different wavelengths of solar rays at the same time. According to Kin Man Yu and colleagues at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using their invention of new semiconductor materials, it is possible to increase solar energy utilization to a level of 45% to 50%.
Manufacturers of solar cells in the United States have shown strong interest in the above new materials at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. However, these manufacturers also pointed out that there are many specific tasks they need to complete to apply these new materials to specific solar cell manufacturing processes.