Painted Solar Cells On Steel Buildings Could Generate Energy
It looks like everybody is looking for new ways to produce alternative power or the harvest energy which is a good thing and these are first steps to a greener world. Scientists from Swansea University, United Kingdom, is looking into the possibility of generating electricity with painted solar cells on steel materials.
This green technology might generate energy as much as 50 wind farms. The basic idea is very simple - the painted solar cells are applied on steel buildings and they produce electricity. Dr. Dave Worsley, Reader in the Materials Research Centre, says that they have worked with many companies that produce steel but until now they never thought that they could develop an energy-generating technique.
The idea came from an Engineering Doctorate student who noticed how sunlight is interworking with paint and they tried to find a method to develop an efficient photovoltaic power plant. Their research was not in vain - they found that their material is more efficient than regular solar cells because they also capture lower light-radiation which is very common in the British climate.
Dr. Worsley got the “greenlight” from the Welsh Energy Research Center to work with metal-group Corus in order to develop their painted solar cells and after his research, he received £1.5 million from the Engineering And Physical Sciences Research Council for a three-year project.
Swansea University teamed up with Bangor University, Imperial College London and University of Bath, and they are studying the possibility of photovoltaic materials that could be applied in steel industry. They hope to manufacture about 40 square meters per minute if they manage to develop the solar cell system on steel buildings.
Dr. Worsley is very confident that his project will be a success because of the enormous potential of the solar cells and high-tech steel. I hope they will keep us informed with their progress.
Thats an awesome article!!!!Extremely interresting!
Posted by: BPM | December 12, 2009 at 08:02 AM
Its wonderful idea to generate energy. Keep Posting!
Posted by: BPMN | January 22, 2010 at 07:30 AM