24 October 2008
World changing solar technology
Posted by Cecilia under: Energy .
The world is dreaming of a battery which never has to be recharged, and which can be used non-stop in electric vehicles, cell phones, laptops and other portable electronic devices. This dream seems to be coming true sooner than later thanks to the combination of two technologies.
The first is solar thin film technology, the material that turns photons into electrons. The other is something called “luminescent microspheres technology” which can produce photons continuously. To call it continuous is a bit of a misnomer because the photon output decreases over time, but the good news is it diminishes over years and not over hours.
The Konarka company in Lowell, MA announced recently that their low cost thin film solar material is prepared for mass production.
The MPK Co. in Clayton, WI is the leader for the production of glow-in-the-dark materials. Their most recent invention “LitroSpheres” can generate electricity continuously over 20 years without any waste byproduct or any other energy input. The Litroenergy sheets contain light emitting micro particles which produce ongoing light energy. The durability is rated at over 20 years and is only restricted by the 12-year half-life of tritium.
MPK won already first place in NASA’s “Future’s Design” contest this year for their luminescent microspheres technology.
After combining the low cost thin film technology with the luminescent microspheres technology they posted this idea again on the NASA contest website.
The pairing of these two technologies can soon be realized because the wavelength of the Litroenergy luminescence and the solar cell collection is close to optimal. The resulting product, called Litroenergy Power Cells has been tested for classification as non-toxic and non-radioactive. How long do we have to wait until we’ll see it on the market? According to Steve Stark, Director of Marketing for MPK, it could be “rolling out of manufacturing plants in as little as three months from now”.
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Today in Sikantis - October 24, 2008 « Sikantis Says:
24 October 2008 at 1:50 am.
[...] Innovative News - World changing solar technology [...]
