Solar Cell Technology Can Make Buildings Generate Energy

A group of researchers at Australia’s University of Queensland, led by Professor Lianzhou Wang, have developed a new kind of solar cells that can capture the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity. Quantum dots are the latest development in solar cell technology and are considered the “next generation of flexible skin-like solar arrays”.

What makes quantum dots different from the current solar cells?

“Current solar cells are made from monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon attached to or melted onto solar cells. The QT solar cells are based on a new class of quantum dots – manmade nano-sized crystals that can transfer electrons and electrical charge between one another when exposed to sunlight.”

These new solar cells can be sprayed on hard surfaces of buildings, making them a renewable energy source.

Quantum dots have been a curious subject among scientists in the past. Still, electrical conductivity hasn’t reached a scale suitable for production until recently, when they have achieved real success.

The latest quantum dot cells are 25% more energy-efficient than their predecessors.  Thanks to Professor Wang’s success in improving the quantum dot’s energy capture from 13.4% to 16.5%, setting a world record for it.

Quantum dots have many advantages. It is cheaper to produce than silicon-based solar cell technology, which can capture light indoors and is compatible with affordable and large-scale printable technologies.  

Its near 25% efficiency improvement is a game-changer from being a prospect to becoming commercially viable, according to Professor Wang.

This exciting breakthrough in solar cell technology will significantly impact the transition to renewable energy and the race to reduce GHG emissions to mitigate climate change.

Watch the video below to learn more about quantum dot solar cells: