For every problem with solar energy, researchers are finding solutions –
and faster and cheaper than expected.
From efforts that mimic nature like leaves and trees, to arrays that float on water or in space,
there has been a wide range of solar energy innovations in 2016.
From tiny solar applications of nanotechnologies to
massive space-based arrays, the growth of solar power is being fueled by market forces, including increasing efficiency and decreasing cost.
The number of possible innovative applications is
virtually limitless.
To address the problem of intermittency, we need solar storage systems and systems that work at night.
We need solar powered airports, solar powered
airplanes and drones capable of
staying in the air indefinitely.
While some of these innovations may sound like science
fiction, they are in fact current day realities.
Solar technologies continue to evolve in terms of
decreasing costs, increased performance, and greater functionality.
There is every reason to believe that the price of
solar will keep declining as we see even more innovation.
Conventional crystalline silicon solar cells still
rule, but thin-film solar cells are catching up. There are also entirely new
solar technologies that are on the cusp of commercial scale production.
Declining costs are key to the widespread adoption of
solar power. In 2016, solar became the least expensive form
of energy generation in the world
and prices are expected to fall another 59 percent in the next decade.
Improving efficiency
Earlier this year, researchers developed a system that
set an all-time solar efficiency
record.
The record-setting cell has a conversion efficiency of
34.5 percent compared to less than 20 percent for the average solar panel.
This takes us two-thirds of the way to the theoretical
maximum efficiency for solar cells. According to one report, the 35 percent
conversion rate was not expected until 2050.
Pseudo synthesis
Researchers have developed bionic leaves that mimic photosynthesis. In this process,
solar electricity is used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, microbes
then feed on the hydrogen and convert CO2 in the air into alcohol fuels.
Solar tree
An Indian institute has created a solar tree to
harvest energy from the sun. The self-cleaning “Solar Power Tree” can harness maximum solar energy and minimize land
use.
A 5 kW Solar Power Tree takes up only four feet,
whereas an equivalent conventional solar array would occupy 400 sq. ft.
The tree also gets one hour more sun per day,
translating to 10-15 percent more power. Future trees can be made even more
efficient by incorporating rotating panels that align with the movement of
the sun.
Sphere
A spherical sun-tracking solar energy-generating glass
globe called Betaray, concentrates light up to 10,000 times.
Its solar harvesting capabilities are 35 percent more
efficient than conventional dual-axis photovoltaic designs. It can be used for
cloudy days; it can even be used to generate power from
moonlight.
Floatovoltaics
Floating solar photovoltaic arrays also
called floatovoltaics, are able to cover
drought-stricken lakes to both generate power and conserve water by reducing
evaporation. floatovoltaic projects are now being built all around the world
including Australia, Brazil, China, England, India, Japan, South Korea, and
California.
Transportable
A transportable carpet-like solar panel has been
developed called the Roll-Array. It generates 10 times more power than other
transportable solar panels on the market today. The system comes with batteries
and inverters that are attached to the base of the panels.
Graphene
A new generation of an all-weather solar
panel is composed of
thin-film solar laid over a sheet of graphene. By incorporating graphene, solar panels are able to
harvest energy from the sun and generate electricity from the rain. Such solar
panels have already been built by a team of scientists in Qingdao,
China.
Nanotech
A technology called thermophotovoltaics broke
through the upper limit of silicon solar cell efficiency this year.
The key to breaking the record is trapping heat from
the sun before it reaches the solar cell. The heat is then emitted in the form
of thermal radiation, which is tuned to wavelengths that can be assimilated by
the solar cell.
This carbon nanotube solar cell has the potential for
high-efficiency solar conversion even on cloudy days.
A new kind of nanoscale
rectenna (half antenna and half
rectifier) can convert solar and infrared into electricity.
This technique uses carbon nanotubes to generate solar
power with 40 percent broad spectrum efficiency at a one-tenth of the cost of
conventional solar cells.
Researchers have already created nanocones that
increased solar cell efficiency by 15
percent. Scientists have also
fabricated nanomaterial that can even make solar panels work in the
dark.
Thin light and transparent
A completely transparent
ultrathin solar panel has been
developed that can absorb only the invisible parts of the solar
spectrum—ultraviolet and infrared radiation.
Such solar cells could be incorporated into any
existing glass or plastic surface from smartphones to skyscrapers.
Researchers have also created the thinnest
and lightest photovoltaic cells ever in 2016. This ultrathin solar cell is so light, it can sit on
a soap bubble.
Practical applications include fabric, paper, and
glass.
These cells are about 1.3 microns thick or one-eighth
the thickness of the average human hair. They weigh only 0.01 lbs. per square
yard (3.6 grams per square meter) or one twentieth of the weight of a piece of
paper.
Conventional silicon-based solar modules produce about
6.8 watts per lb. (15 watts per kilogram).
This new solar cell produces 2,720
watts per lb. (6 watts per gram), or about 400 times as much as conventional
solar panels.
The manufacturing of these cells also has a much
smaller environmental footprint than conventional solar panels. Because of its
light weight, these cells may be ideal for aerospace applications.
The final frontier
Space enables solar to overcome the biggest obstacles
hindering terrestrial arrays. The first is the problem of intermittency, the
second is storage and the third is scale. They would also last for centuries.
Zero gravity makes massive solar arrays possible. As
an uninterrupted supply, it will not need to be stored and it can be
continuously beamed down to earth via satellite using microwave technology.
In fact, the final frontier is such an ideal
environment for solar that some predict there will be an energy race in space.
This technology could be a game-changer by providing unlimited supplies of
inexpensive emissions-free power to people all around the world.
Researchers in the U.S., China, Japan, the UAE and
elsewhere believe that space-based solar is technically feasible and they are
currently testing the concept.
There are already space based solar projects in the
pipeline including a solar power satellite from Solaren, which has signed an
agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco.
The Space
Solar Power Initiative (SSPI) has
developed a system of lightweight space based tiles which can convert solar
energy to radio waves and beam power back to Earth.
These “multifunctional tiles” can be used to build the
largest space structure every constructed.
We have entered the age of the Anthropocene, a time defined by human destruction of the planet,
but solar energy is leading the way out of the mess we have made with innovative
energy innovations. Historians will look back on this period as the golden age
of solar power.
Richard
Matthews is a consultant, eco-entrepreneur, green investor and author of
numerous articles on sustainable positioning, eco-economics and enviro-politics.
He is the owner of The Green Market Oracle, a leading sustainable business site and one of the Web’s most
comprehensive resources on the business of the environment. Find The Green
Market on Facebook and follow The Green
Market’s twitter feed.
