Thinner and more Powerful Solar Cells Soon?

It’s all down to bonding hydrogen to silicon, a technique being perfected by researchers at Iowa State University’s Applied Science Department. The team, headed by Vikram Dalal (pictured) in collaboration with solar cell makers PowerFilm are developing thin and flexible cells, which until now have been less efficient than thicker cells but the new technology could improve the performance of the cells by up to 50 percent. The new manufacturing methods also use a lot less crystalline silicon, which is in short supply, due to demand from chip manufacturers.