From today, research in the field of solar energy and photovoltaics will have an additional ally: the Solar Frontiers Center (SFC) was inaugurated in Cambrige, a project announced in July 2008 and the result of the collaboration between ENI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT). It is a center entirely dedicated to the research & development of solar technologies, consisting of shared spaces and laboratories, to which is added a meeting room equipped with video-conferencing.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
From today, research in the field ofsolar power and PV will have one more ally: it was inaugurated in Cambrige on Solar Frontiers Center (SFC), project announced in July 2008 and the result of the collaboration between ENI and MIT (MIT). It is a center entirely dedicated to research & development of the solar technologies, consisting of shared spaces and workshops, to which is added a meeting room equipped with video-conferencing.
The SFC is the result of the collaboration started a few years ago between ENI and MIT (also known for developing the Copenhagen Wheel and battery that recharges through a colony of viruses), as part of a program called Solar Frontiers, which has already achieved several results:
- the realization of the first ultra-flexible solar cell;
- the realization of the first solar cell printed on paper in the world;
- development of solar cells that mimic the photosynthetic process;
- creation of a prototype that maximizes the investment on solar thermal systems with parabolic mirrors for the distribution ofconcentrated solar energy
The commitment, over the next 5 years, foresees an investment of 50 million dollars, which will serve not only to support the work of the SFC, but also to finance the parallel program MITEI (MIT Energy Initiative), also aimed at the development of solar technologies and innovative photovoltaic modules. Since the current photovoltaic panels - we read on the site www.30percento.com, one of the ENI portals - "have few possibilities to really compete with conventional energy sources and also have a rather limited scope of application, [...] the new generation of photovoltaic devices will be characterized by a series of innovations" . These innovations are precisely the goal of the Solar Frontiers Center's research.
Among these, the most important are thelowering of the cost of materials, with the use of polymers and nano-structures; the passage, as far as construction techniques are concerned, from semiconductor typologies to more common printing processes (something very similar to the corresponding printing on paper); and finally theapplication of light and flexible devices that can be installed on non-flat surfaces, in different shapes and sizes, giving life to a range of possibilities unimaginable until today.
In short, a truly demanding program, the results of which may make them more accessible and functional in the future solar technologies. We just have to wait, wishing the researchers of the brand new Solar Frontiers Center to do their best. After all, the stakes are for us all.
Roberto Zambon
