Groundfloor Energy

Before you read on, check out the great deals for Solar Power Cells Efficiency products below before they expire:

Solio Mono by Solio $59.95 115167 Features: The solar cell is both durable and powerful for quick charging Integrated, rechargeable and replaceable lithium-ion battery can be charged with the sun or plug it in to a USB outlet Stores power up to one year Works with most mobile phones, MP3 players, PDA's and GPS's right out of the box (additional adapters are available) Specifications: Size: 47 x 13 x 85 inches Internal batt...

Cobra CPI 1575 1500 Watt 12 Volt DC to 120 Volt AC Power Inverter $189.95 This inverter provides household power on the go. It converts battery power to 120 V AC household power, allowing you to power up office equipment and household appliances from your vehicle. This unit is ideal for such appliances as microwave ovens (1000 watts or less), coffeemakers, laptops, TVs, video game consoles, CD and DVD players, cell phone chargers, and more. Power equipment and applia...

Sunforce 50033 15-Watt Solar Charging Kit $94.95 Works with Automobiles/Boats/Tractors/ATVs/Electric Fences/Deer Feeders/Telemetry and More. Maintenance Free / Easy Installation. Pre Cut Holes for Easy Installation. 4 Stainless Steel Screws. Battery Clamps. CLA Adapter. 12ft Wire. 7 Amp Charge Controller. Works in All Weather Conditions. Ultra Bright Blue LED Provides Charging Indication. Built-in Blocking Diode Protects Battery Discha...

Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit $279.95 The Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit gives you several more reasons to love the sun. It provides the power you need, while helping you save money and protect the environment. This kit is ideal for cabins, recreational vehicles, remote power, back-up power, and 12-volt battery charging. It comes with everything you need to start producing up to 60 Watts/4 Amps of clean, free power in all w...

Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course, Academic Edition & Public Performance $125.95 This academic version has an extra hour of bonus materials that includes a 25 minutes documentary produced in 1974 soon after the 1973 oil embargo, extended interviews, lesson plans, an Eco-facts sheet, a jpeg file from the poster (11X17) and the 2 mini documentaries from the standard version (Cuba's Peak Oil and Steve Andrews "Green Home").Synopsis: As our global population and its appetite for e...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries $17.99 The SEC-HR4U8BPN 4-AAA Eneloop battery pack utilizes SANYO's advanced rechargeable battery technology allowing them to last longer than ever before! Unlike disposable batteries which can only be used only once and are wasteful to the environment, the eneloop batteries can be recharged up to 1,500 times. They come pre-charged, can be used immediately out of the pack and maintain 75% of their charge...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with USB Charger $16.99 RECHARGEABLE UP TO 1500XUSB CHARGER IS DESIGNED FOR CHARGING 2 AA OR 2 AAA BATTERIESLOW SELF DISCHARGE BATTERIES MAINTAIN 75% CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARS OF NON-USE2000 MAH POWERNO MEMORY EFFECTUPC : 043712130085Shipping Dimensions : 0.74in X 3.99in X 6.88inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.25...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with C Spacer $9.99 2 BATTERY TYPES IN 1 KITPRE-CHARGED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIESREADY TO USE OUT OF PACKCAN BE RECHARGED 1500XHOLDS 75% OF CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARSNO MEMORY EFFECTSRECHARGES EMPTY OR PARTIALLY DRAINED BATTERIESENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLYUSER CAN INSERT TWO AA BATTERIES IN SPACER TO CREATE A C BATTERYUPC : 043712130252Shipping Dimensions : 1.08in X 3.84in X 7.13inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.225...

Tripp Lite PV150 PV 150W 12V DC to AC Portable Inverter with DC Auto Power Outlet $22.91 300 watts peak150 watts continuous power Low-battery alarm with auto-shut-off prevents deep battery dischargeLightweight design with all-metal housingClean quiet operation1 AC outlets 3 3/4"W x 1 3/4"H x 5 3/4"DPV-375: 4 1/4"W x 2"H x 7"DPV-600 6 1/4W x 4"H x 10 1/4"DIncludes DC cigarette lighter plug...

Solio Mono-A Hybrid Solar Charger $59.99 115167BLK000 Features: The solar cell is both durable and powerful for quick charging Integrated, rechargeable and replaceable lithium-ion battery can be charged with the sun or plug it in to a USB outlet Stores power up to one year Works with most mobile phones, MP3 players, PDA's and GPS's right out of the box (additional adapters are available) Specifications: Size: 47 x 13 x 85 inches Interna...

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Revolutionary Solar Power Design

New solar power design research conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) could lead to higher powered, more affordable solar panels.

With the help of computer simulations and various advanced chip-manufacturing methods, a team of physicists and engineers at MIT have discovered new ways of getting greater efficiency from photovoltaic solar cells.

In the experiment, the team applied an anti-reflective coating to the front, and a innovative series of multi-layered reflective coatings and a defraction grating - a closely spaced array of lines - to the back of ultra-thin silicon films to increase the cells' power by up to 50%.

With the help of the carefully designed layers on the back of each cell, light is bounced around longer inside the thin silicon film, allowing it more time to transfer its energy into an electric current.  Without those coatings the light would be reflected straight out of the cell.

One of the team members, Peter Bermel, a post-doctoral researcher in MIT's physics department explained that it is critical that any light entering the layer should travel through a long path in the silicon.  But what they have not figured out yet is how long that path has to be to ensure maximum absorption of electrons to produce the electric current.

The test was started by running thousands of computer simulations, testing variations of the thickness of the silicon,  spacing of the lines, and the amount and thickness of reflective layers on the back. These simulations were then used to optimize efficiency and power output.

According to Lionel Kimerling, the project manager and Thomas Lord Professor of Materials Science and Engineering: "The simulated performance was remarkably better than any other structure, promising, for 2-micrometer-thick films, a 50 percent efficiency increase in conversion of sunlight to electricity."

Once simulations were complete, they were confirmed by actual lab-scale tests, where graduate student Lirong Zeng was given required to refine the structure and make the silicon cell.  As predicted, the experiment was a success and sparked considerable industry interest.

The work done so far was just the first step toward manufacturing an affordable, improved solar cell. Now all that is needed is some fine-tuning through more simulations and lab tests, and more work on the materials and manufacturing process.

According to Kimberling, if the solar business stays strong, we can expect this new technology to be ready within the next three years. Bermel added that, "the potential for savings is great, since the high-quality silicon crystal substrates used in conventional solar cells represent about half the cost, and the thin films in this version use only about 1 percent as much silicon."

To evaluate its business potential, the project was selected by the MIT Deshpande Center for an "i-team" study. Here it was concluded that this thin film solar cell technology could provide considerable benefits in both manufacturing and electricity production, for uses ranging from remote off-grid to dedicated clean energy.

While no single project is likely to minimize the cost of solar cells, this type of innovation takes us one step closer to making solar power design competitive with fossil fuel and nuclear grid electricity.

About the Author

Tim McDonald and his wife have been living off the grid since June 2008. He recommends you Try Earth4Energy For FREE before you go out and start any home solar power project.

How Solar Panels Work

Solio Mono by Solio $59.95 115167 Features: The solar cell is both durable and powerful for quick charging Integrated, rechargeable and replaceable lithium-ion battery can be charged with the sun or plug it in to a USB outlet Stores power up to one year Works with most mobile phones, MP3 players, PDA's and GPS's right out of the box (additional adapters are available) Specifications: Size: 47 x 13 x 85 inches Internal batt...

Energy Crossroads: A burning need to change course, Academic Edition & Public Performance $125.95 This academic version has an extra hour of bonus materials that includes a 25 minutes documentary produced in 1974 soon after the 1973 oil embargo, extended interviews, lesson plans, an Eco-facts sheet, a jpeg file from the poster (11X17) and the 2 mini documentaries from the standard version (Cuba's Peak Oil and Steve Andrews "Green Home").Synopsis: As our global population and its appetite for e...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 8 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries $17.99 The SEC-HR4U8BPN 4-AAA Eneloop battery pack utilizes SANYO's advanced rechargeable battery technology allowing them to last longer than ever before! Unlike disposable batteries which can only be used only once and are wasteful to the environment, the eneloop batteries can be recharged up to 1,500 times. They come pre-charged, can be used immediately out of the pack and maintain 75% of their charge...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with USB Charger $16.99 RECHARGEABLE UP TO 1500XUSB CHARGER IS DESIGNED FOR CHARGING 2 AA OR 2 AAA BATTERIESLOW SELF DISCHARGE BATTERIES MAINTAIN 75% CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARS OF NON-USE2000 MAH POWERNO MEMORY EFFECTUPC : 043712130085Shipping Dimensions : 0.74in X 3.99in X 6.88inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.25...

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with C Spacer $9.99 2 BATTERY TYPES IN 1 KITPRE-CHARGED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIESREADY TO USE OUT OF PACKCAN BE RECHARGED 1500XHOLDS 75% OF CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARSNO MEMORY EFFECTSRECHARGES EMPTY OR PARTIALLY DRAINED BATTERIESENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLYUSER CAN INSERT TWO AA BATTERIES IN SPACER TO CREATE A C BATTERYUPC : 043712130252Shipping Dimensions : 1.08in X 3.84in X 7.13inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.225...

Tripp Lite PV150 PV 150W 12V DC to AC Portable Inverter with DC Auto Power Outlet $22.91 300 watts peak150 watts continuous power Low-battery alarm with auto-shut-off prevents deep battery dischargeLightweight design with all-metal housingClean quiet operation1 AC outlets 3 3/4"W x 1 3/4"H x 5 3/4"DPV-375: 4 1/4"W x 2"H x 7"DPV-600 6 1/4W x 4"H x 10 1/4"DIncludes DC cigarette lighter plug...

Solio Mono-A Hybrid Solar Charger $59.99 115167BLK000 Features: The solar cell is both durable and powerful for quick charging Integrated, rechargeable and replaceable lithium-ion battery can be charged with the sun or plug it in to a USB outlet Stores power up to one year Works with most mobile phones, MP3 players, PDA's and GPS's right out of the box (additional adapters are available) Specifications: Size: 47 x 13 x 85 inches Interna...

SOLIO S49-S60SP MONO $50.00 SOLIO S49-S60SP MONOSOLAR CHARGER; INTERNAL LONG LIFE 1000 MAH LI-ION BATTERY; HOLDS CHARGE UP TO 1 YEAR; CHARGES FROM THE SUN, USB PORT OR OPTIONAL WALL CHARGER; 1 HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLAR CELL; MULTIFUNCTION LED LIGHT/START BUTTON; CHARGING CABLE INPUT (USB/AC); CHARGING OUTPUT; 5VProduct is Discontinued; Pro...

Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic $138.00 ...

NEEWER® Portable AA Battery Powered Emergency Charger with Flashlight - Black - For Anything Powered Via USB $0.01 ...