Photovoltaic panels land in the third dimension thanks to new solar cells designed by MIT researchers. They have been arranged in such a way as to obtain a structure capable of developing vertically, thanks to a new 3D design. The new cells are expected to be able to effectively improve the current efficiency of photovoltaics, which has hitherto been mainly based on the use of two-dimensional panels.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
I photovoltaic panels they land in the third dimension thanks to the new solar cells designed by MIT researchers. They have been arranged in such a way as to obtain a structure capable of developing vertically, thanks to a new 3D design. The new cells are expected to be able to effectively improve the current efficiency of photovoltaics, which has hitherto been mainly based on the use of two-dimensional panels.
Until now, sector research had been concerned with the production of low-cost cells, without primarily taking into account the study of new possibilities for improving the positioning of the same, usually intended to be applied to flat surfaces, such as the roofs of houses, or to structures able to rotate them so that they are directed in the most correct way according to the angle of the sun's rays.
Thanks to the new structures, it seems that solar cells are able to generate energy with efficiency equal to twice - and well beyond - compared to what happens in the case of municipalities photovoltaic panels flat surface. The solar cells are now arranged along a tower structure, which would be able to capture sunlight from any direction. The most interesting improvements have been found in places on the planet located far from the equator,
The rendering of the 3D panels was also optimal in situations of cloudy sky or during the winter months. The results obtained by the MIT experts were published in the pages of the specialized magazine "Energy and Environmental Science". The making of three-dimensional structures it was preceded by the study of algorithms and configurations using specific computer software, which was followed by laboratory experiments. Their energy production was judged to be particularly uniform throughout the year, without profound distinctions between the seasons, even in the event of cloud cover or shady areas. This would be possible thanks to the ability of the vertical and three-dimensional structures to capture the sun's rays even in the moments of the day and in the periods of the year when it is closest to the sun.horizon.
The next challenge for the experts will concern the construction of structures consisting of several towers with attached photovoltaic cells, arranged so that the shadows cast by each of them do not affect the functionality and effectiveness of the whole. It will be joined by the intent to produce 3D panels on a large scale trying to reduce costs as much as possiblei, in such a way that the new technology becomes more affordable and its diffusion is thus faster.
Marta Albè
