A layer of silicon nanocrystals and erbium ions may help solar cells to extract more energy from the ultraviolet (UV, high-energy) part of the solar spectrum. Experimental physicists from the FOM Foundation, the STW Technology ...
Nanophysics
Aug 13, 2014
5
1703
Researchers from the FOM Foundation, Delft University of Technology, Toyota Motor Europe and the University of California have developed a nanostructure with which they can make solar cells highly efficient. The researchers ...
Nanophysics
Aug 26, 2013
5
0
Throughout decades of research on solar cells, one formula has been considered an absolute limit to the efficiency of such devices in converting sunlight into electricity: Called the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit, it ...
Energy & Green Tech
Apr 18, 2013
15
0
Smart materials are revolutionizing solar thermal collectors. A team of researchers from EPFL has developed a coating that is capable of absorbing heat as well as repelling it. Invisible to the naked eye, this process particularly ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jul 3, 2015
0
642
Life on earth largely depends on the conversion of light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis by plants. However, absorption of excess sunlight can damage the complex machinery responsible for this process. ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 5, 2016
0
508
LMU researchers have identified a set of proteins that enable plants to adjust their photosynthesis in response to fluctuating light intensities so as to make the best use of the light available.
Biotechnology
Dec 22, 2016
0
533
Plants rely on the energy in sunlight to produce the nutrients they need. But sometimes they absorb more energy than they can use, and that excess can damage critical proteins. To protect themselves, they convert the excess ...
Biochemistry
Dec 5, 2018
0
352
Turbo-charging photosynthesis -- by which plants and bacteria turn sunlight into food and energy -- in an "artificial leaf" could yield a vast commercial power source, scientists said.
Energy & Green Tech
Feb 20, 2012
1
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary force driving global warming.
Earth Sciences
Jan 30, 2012
26
0
A new study shows that the frequency of polar vortex disruptions that is most favorable for extreme winter weather in the United States is increasing, and that Arctic change is likely contributing to the increasing trend. ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 2, 2021
5
256
