Printed Light Collectors

Nanostructured solar cells promise lower costs.

Photovoltaics still are not able to compete with conventional energy sources. Solar cells in which energy is generated by nanoparticles printed on aluminium foil should considerably reduce the production costs. The technology is now entering the market.

In order to make solar energy cheaper, researchers are eagerly working on new photovoltaic concepts. Their latest achievement is a solar cell, in which tiny nanoparticles of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) convert sunlight into energy, instead of solid silicon or a thin-film absorber. The particles are solubilised and applied to a cheap aluminium substrate using the rotational technique. This increases the output, i.e. the produced quantity per unit of time, saves material and, consequently, reduces manufacturing costs. At the same time, the efficiency level is not impaired: The nanomodules achieve eleven percent efficiency – as much as the conventional CIGS thin-film panels.