New Solar Panel Technology to Produce – Electricity and Hydrogen

In the ongoing pursuit of abundant, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists have produced hydrogen for fuel cells through artificial photosynthesis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Solar panel material research proves that there is a huge potential in new solar panel technology, which can produce electricity and hydrogen at a time. This will increase effectiveness and efficiency of the panel by generating additional energy in an environmentally friendly way. It’s also believed that hydrogen will be the clean energy source of the future.

Traditional processes have struggled to use optical, electronic and chemical properties in a way that makes this method efficient, but now researchers from Berkeley Lab have created a recipe that could completely bypass the limitations in current materials.

This new solar panel technology is based on synthetic Nano-crystals: one is rod-shaped and produces hydrogen by photo catalysis (if the panel is submerged) while the second is photovoltaic (produces electricity from light).

The research is on developing stage. Although its innovator believes that this technology can be marked and mass-produced. If this method becomes successful, it will be a great alternative to recent solar energy gathering methods. Energy storage has always been a big challenge for creating reliable and clean energy. Many options are applied, like batteries or even dam for water storage.

Now the team has the basics down, it says it plans to continue improving the device as well as investigate real-world applications for it. Of course, the design does beg the question, why not just store the extra energy in a battery instead of making hydrogen?

Batteries are expensive, is one answer, but fuel cells aren't cheap either. Regardless, hydrogen is going to play a big role in the world's future energy mix, so any steps to improve the efficiency of its harvesting now is good news for later on.

Numerous researches taking place in the world to produce clean energy. The production of hydrogen sounds great, especially when everyone likes clean energy other than existing systems.

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Solar Energy is on the Rise in Asia

Solar energy in Asia can promote economic growth and the quality of life. Asia is dominated by clear skies, which make the possibility of solar energy being distributed to any location in the continent possible. A small percentage of solar energy services exist in Asia, but a wide scale solar energy program will have substantial financial and economical results. Solar energy will also create employment opportunities for thousands of people.

What Is Solar Energy?

Solar power generates electricity with no global warming pollution, no fuel costs, and no risks of fuel price spikes, and has the potential to help move the country toward cleaner, reliable, and affordable sources of electricity.

It provides a renewable energy source that provides air quality for the environment. The sun powers the solar energy. It provides radiant heat and light that makes solar electricity possible for thousands of homes and businesses. Customers benefit from the nuclear fusion of the sun. Solar energy provides a sustainable and reliable resource of natural energy. It is one of the most beneficial resources in the world. Solar energy will change the way Asia receives electricity, produces agriculture, and deals business.

Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, typically on rooftops, account for the majority of solar installations, while large-scale PV systems and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems constitute the majority of solar's overall electricity-generating capacity.

The Benefits of Solar Energy:

• Save on the cost of utilities
• Environment friendly
• Diminishes the threat of constant blackouts
• Requires less maintenance than electricity repair service

Solar energy is an energy resource that naturally protects the environment. Residents of Asia can benefit from less air pollutants that plague other parts of the world by utilizing solar electricity. Our sun provides a limitless amount of energy for nearly twice every person in the world.

Recent reports from major climate organizations are painting a very mixed picture for the future of global energy use. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says that renewable energy now forms one-third of the world's total energy capacity -- its highest level ever -- but at the same time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that energy demand is growing at the fastest pace this decade, and fossil fuels are leading the charge.

Solar energy will reduce the high cost of electricity for Asia. On average, it can lower an electricity bill by 46%. Most customers will pay for solar panels, but the cost of the solar panels will pay for themselves in a matter of weeks. Solar energy can and will provide the quality of life, economics, finances, and stability in Asia.

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New Invention Boost Solar Energy Production

Across the globe, a clutch of companies from Oxford, England to Redwood City, Calif. are working to commercialize a new solar technology that could further boost the adoption of renewable energy generation.

Solar energy remains one of the most used forms of renewable energy. However, it is generally not the only option used when creating power. This is because solar cells are limited in the amount of power created. No matter how bright the sunlight or how many hours of continual sunlight, the solar power cells create a certain amount without going higher. This leaves untapped solar power bypassing the cells.

However, with a recent creation in Abu Dhabi, it looks as if individuals looking to power their homes with solar energy or cities looking for ways to generate renewable energy can look more towards solar power than ever before.

The new creation takes the basic solar cell and both concentrates and separates the sunlight into different spectrums. Essentially, it allows the sunlight to travel through a prism. The prism (similar to prisms used in elementary school science projects) filters out the unnecessary material that is not used to create energy and boosts the concentration of the solar power which is directed towards the cell. It also helps focused the light so it can be harnessed into a much higher, more contracted energy.

New chemistries for solar cell manufacturing have been touted in the past, but cost has been an obstacle to commercial rollout, given how cheaply solar panels became thanks in part to a massive push from the Chinese government to increase manufacturing capacity.

Many of those manufacturers eventually folded, but the survivors managed to maintain their dominant position in the industry by reducing the need for buyers to look to newer technologies for cost or efficiency savings.

In the traditional form of solar energy, the cells transform light energy into electricity. During this process, only some of the sun’s light is absorbed. It only converts, at maximum, 18 percent of the light into electricity.

With the new prism based solar cells, it is now possible to boost production to around 40 percent of that given off by the sun. This way, it is 2.5 times as efficient as the former devices, all without drastically increasing the price of the solar cells. There truly is a new method for creating solar energy and for boosting the production of energy while using the light from the sun itself.

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Effects of Solar Power Plants on the Environment

The sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable renewable energy without toxic pollution or global warming emissions.

Solar Power Plants are growing across the globe at an alarming rate, and every year more and more land is being utilized for the establishment and development of solar panels. The question that arises is, do they have any adverse effects on the environment? The answer is yes, however small they may be, they do affect the environment and we cannot overlook this fact. Read on further for some of the crucial effects that Solar panels have on our environment.

1) Land quality deterioration

Photovoltaic systems need 3.5 to 10 acres per megawatt whereas Concentrated Solar Power systems work on a range of 4 to 16.5 acres per megawatt, therefore large quantity of land is being used. This can be solved by using poor-grade areas like barren fields, mining sites which are out of use or transportation corridors.

2) Higher water requirement

Solar power plants need water to cool the structure and the quantity of water required depends on the solar power plant design, its location and also the cooling system type. Solar Plants need typically about 600 to 650 gallons of water for every megawatt-hour of electricity generated.

3) Hazardous Materials

Harmful components such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrogen fluoride,  hydrochloric acid, acetone and 1,1,1-trichloroethane are released while manufacturing the photovoltaic cells. They are also a health risk for workers that work there as they continuously inhale the silicon dust.

So while solar power is a perfect solution, it is much more environmentally friendly than producing electricity from non-renewable sources, especially coal. Ultimately, whether or not using solar is a good idea in your community depends on variables such as solar irradiance and other renewable energy sources.