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Category: solar power

Record-breaking material emits infrared light better than it absorbs it, without violating the laws of physics

New results published in the journal Physical Review Letters detail how a specially designed metamaterial was able to tip the normally equal balance between thermal absorption and emission, enabling the material to better emit infrared light than absorb it.

At first glance, these findings appear to violate Kirchhoff’s law of , which states that—under specific conditions—an object will absorb (absorptivity) in one direction and emit it (emissivity) with equal intensity in another, a phenomenon known as reciprocity.

Over the past decade, however, scientists have begun exploring theoretical designs that, under the right conditions, could allow materials to break reciprocity. Understanding how a material absorbs and emits infrared light (heat) is central to many fields of science and engineering. Controlling how a material absorbs and emits infrared light could pave the way for advances in harvesting, thermal cloaking devices, and other technologies.

New laser power converters can transmit power to further, remote destinations

From smart grids to the internet of things, the modern world is increasingly reliant on connectivity between electronic devices. Thanks to University of Ottawa researchers, these devices can now be simultaneously connected and powered with a simple optical fiber over long distances, even in the harshest environments.

This significant step forward in the development of photonic power converters—devices that turn into —could integrate laser-driven, remote power solutions into existing fiber optic infrastructure. This, in turn, could pave the way for improved connectivity and more reliable communication in remote locations and extreme situations.

“In traditional power over fiber systems, most of the laser light is lost,” explains Professor Karin Hinzer of the University of Ottawa’s SUNLAB, which collaborated with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems on the study. “With these new devices, the fiber can be much longer.”

Artificial photosynthesis system surpasses key efficiency benchmark for direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion

A research team affiliated with UNIST has introduced a cutting-edge modular artificial leaf that simultaneously meets high efficiency, long-term stability, and scalability requirements—marking a major step forward in green hydrogen production technology essential for achieving carbon neutrality.

Jointly led by Professors Jae Sung Lee, Sang Il Seok, and Ji-Wook Jang from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, this innovative system mimics natural leaves by producing solely from sunlight and water, without requiring external power sources or emitting during the process—a clean hydrogen production method. The study is published in Nature Communications.

Unlike conventional photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) systems, which generate electricity before producing hydrogen, this direct solar-to-chemical conversion approach reduces losses associated with and minimizes installation footprint. However, prior challenges related to low efficiency, durability, and scalability hindered commercial deployment.

Nanodomains hold the key to next-generation solar cells, researchers find

A new study, published in Nature Nanotechnology and featured on the journal’s front cover this month, has uncovered insights into the tiny structures that could take solar energy to the next level.

Researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) have found that dynamic nanodomains within lead halide perovskites—materials at the forefront of solar cell innovation—hold a key to boosting their efficiency and stability. The findings reveal the nature of these microscopic structures, and how they impact the way electrons are energized by light and transported through the material, offering insights into more efficient solar cells.

The study was led by Milos Dubajic and Professor Sam Stranks from the Optoelectronic Materials and Device Spectroscopy Group at CEB, in collaboration with an international network, with key contributions from Imperial College London, UNSW Sydney, Colorado State University, ANSTO Sydney, and synchrotron facilities in Australia, the UK, and Germany.

New passivation strategy improves scalability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells

Solar cells, devices that can convert sunlight into electrical energy, are becoming increasingly widespread, with many households and industries worldwide now relying on them as a source of electricity. While crystalline silicon-based photovoltaics and other widely available solar cells perform relatively well, manufacturing them can be expensive, and they do not perform well in low-light or other unfavorable conditions.

Modified perovskite solar cells harvest energy from indoor fluorescent lighting

When you think of solar panels, you usually picture giant cells mounted to face the sun. But what if “solar” cells could be charged using fluorescent lights?

Perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) have emerged as a lower-cost, higher-efficiency alternative to traditional silicon solar cells due to their material structure and physical flexibility. Their large power conversion efficiency rate (PCE), which is the amount of energy created from the amount of energy hitting the cell, makes PeSCs well suited to converting lower light sources into energy.

In APL Energy, researchers from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan created that effectively convert indoor lighting into .

Scientists develop stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells

A research group led by Prof. Ge Ziyi from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an innovative strategy to alleviate NiOx corrosion, enabling more efficient and stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs).

How to Build in Space — for Life on Earth

🏗️ Q: What are the potential benefits of off-worlding heavy industry to space?

A: Space-based manufacturing can produce sustainable energy, food, and water for a trillion-dollar space economy, allowing Earth to recover as a garden planet for future generations.

Space-Based Manufacturing.

🧬 Q: How can microgravity in low-Earth orbit advance biotech manufacturing?

A: Enable unique manufacturing of protein crystals, tissues, and novel drugs impossible on Earth, with high-throughput production of exceptional quality organoids for Alzheimer’s and cancer drug testing.

☀️ Q: How can space-based solar power solve Earth’s energy challenges?

Continue reading “How to Build in Space — for Life on Earth” | >

Just 2% of tidal and offshore solar energy could make a dent in carbon dioxide emissions

Harnessing just 2% of the energy potential from tidal and offshore solar sources could make a significant dent in global CO2 emissions, new research has found.

Researchers at the Universities of Strathclyde and Maine examined more than 660 assessments of offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential in more than 3,000 locations worldwide. They found that tidal and solar consistently had more energy to offer than other sources such as wind and wave, but were the subject of far less research, and consequently, remained largely untapped.

Offshore solar energy, in particular, was found to be more reliable and less variable than other sources, making it ideal for energy mixes. Despite their lower theoretical potential, wind and wave energy accounted for three-quarters of the assessments examined by the researchers.