Manufacturing News

Solar finding may reduce cost and risks of cell making

Researchers in the UK say they have developed a method to
make efficient solar cells without using a toxic compound.

The BBC reports that most solar cells are now made from
silicon. However, about 7 % are now made from cadmium telluride which is
lighter and cheaper than silicon.

The problem with cadmium telluride is that cadmium chloride,
a toxic and expensive chemical is needed to make them.

Researchers from Liverpool University say they have found that
magnesium chloride, a completely safe chemical found in tofu and bath salts,
can be used as an alternative. Their findings have been published in the journal, Nature.

Dr John Major, who led the research, told the BBC that he
believed solar energy could eventually meet the world’s energy needs.

“There is enough sunlight that falls on the Earth every
hour to generate enough electricity for the planet for a year,” he said.

“The way solar is progressing it will just be a matter
of time before it becomes competitive with fossil fuels and eventually replace
them.”

In another solar breakthrough earlier this month, CSIRO
researchers used solar energy to generate hot and pressurised ‘supercritical’
steam, at the highest temperatures ever achieved in the world outside of fossil
fuel sources.

According to the CSIRO, supercritical steam is a
breakthrough for solar energy and means that one day the sun could be used to
drive the most advanced power stations in the world, currently only driven by
coal or gas.

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