Posted by H. E. Taylor on January 10, 2005, 8:59 pm
Here's another one for the geewhiz file...
2005/01/09: CTV: New [quantum dot polymer] plastic can better convert solar
energy
New plastic can better convert solar energy
TORONTO — Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented an
infrared-sensitive
material that's five times more efficient at turning the sun's power into
electrical energy than
current
methods.
The discovery could lead to shirts and sweaters capable of recharging our
cellphones and other
wireless devices, said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer
engineering at the
university.
Sargent and other researchers combined specially-designed minute particles
called quantum dots,
three to four nanometres across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can
detect energy in the
infrared.
Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye but it is what most remote
controls emit, in small
amounts, to control devices such as TVs and DVD players.
It also contains a huge untapped resource -- despite the surge in popularity of
solar cells in the
1990s, we still miss half of the sun's power, Sargent said.
"In fact, there's enough power from the sun hitting the Earth every day to
supply all the world's
needs for energy 10,000 times over,'' Sargent said in a phone interview Sunday
from Boston. He
is currently a visiting professor of nanotechnology at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Sargent said the new plastic composite is, in layman's terms, a layer of film
that "catches'' solar
energy. He said the film can be applied to any device, much like paint is coated
on a wall.
"We've done the same thing, but not with something that just sit there on the
wall the way paint
does,'' said the Ottawa native.
"We've done it to make a device which actually harnesses the power in the room
in the infrared.''
The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable,
electrical energy. Today's
best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
Sargent said the advance would not only wipe away that inefficiency, but also
resolve the hassle of
recharging our countless gadgets and pave the way to a true wireless world.
"We now have our cellphones and our BlackBerries and we're walking around
without the need
to plug in, in order to get our data,'' he said.
"But we seem trapped at the moment in needing to plug in to get our power.
That's because we
charge these things up electrically, from the outlet. But there's actually huge
amounts of power all
around us coming from the sun.''
The film has the ability to be sprayed or woven into shirts so that our cuffs or
collars could
recharge our IPods, Sargent said.
While that may sound like a Star Trek dream, venture capitalists are keen to
Sargent's invention.
Josh Wolfe, managing partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture
capital firm, said
while such a luxury may be five years away, the technology knows no bounds.
"When you have a material advance which literally materially changes the way
that energy is
absorbed and transmitted to our devices... somebody out there tinkering away in
a bedroom or in
a government lab is going to come up with a great idea for a new device that
will shock us all,'' he
said in a phone interview.
"When the Internet was created nobody envisioned that the killer app
(application) would be
e-mail or instant messaging.''
Sargent's work was published in the online edition of Nature Materials on Sunday
and will appear
in its February issue.
<http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1105319242587_49?hub=SciTech>
<regards>
-het
--
"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday
is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow." - Robert Goddard
PV FAQ: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/energy/pv_faq.html
H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/
Posted by Solar Guppy on January 10, 2005, 11:08 pm
"Josh Wolfe, managing partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture
capital firm, said
while such a luxury may be five years away, the technology knows no bounds."
Yawn ... Looks like a PR release to suck up so more money .....
> Here's another one for the geewhiz file...
> 2005/01/09: CTV: New [quantum dot polymer] plastic can better convert
> solar energy
> New plastic can better convert solar energy
> TORONTO - Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented an
> infrared-sensitive
> material that's five times more efficient at turning the sun's power into
> electrical energy than
> current
> methods.
> The discovery could lead to shirts and sweaters capable of recharging our
> cellphones and other
> wireless devices, said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer
> engineering at the
> university.
> Sargent and other researchers combined specially-designed minute particles
> called quantum dots,
> three to four nanometres across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can
> detect energy in the
> infrared.
> Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye but it is what most remote
> controls emit, in small
> amounts, to control devices such as TVs and DVD players.
> It also contains a huge untapped resource -- despite the surge in
> popularity of solar cells in the
> 1990s, we still miss half of the sun's power, Sargent said.
> "In fact, there's enough power from the sun hitting the Earth every day to
> supply all the world's
> needs for energy 10,000 times over,'' Sargent said in a phone interview
> Sunday from Boston. He
> is currently a visiting professor of nanotechnology at the Massachusetts
> Institute of Technology.
> Sargent said the new plastic composite is, in layman's terms, a layer of
> film that "catches'' solar
> energy. He said the film can be applied to any device, much like paint is
> coated on a wall.
> "We've done the same thing, but not with something that just sit there on
> the wall the way paint
> does,'' said the Ottawa native.
> "We've done it to make a device which actually harnesses the power in the
> room in the infrared.''
> The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable,
> electrical energy. Today's
> best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
> Sargent said the advance would not only wipe away that inefficiency, but
> also resolve the hassle of
> recharging our countless gadgets and pave the way to a true wireless
> world.
> "We now have our cellphones and our BlackBerries and we're walking around
> without the need
> to plug in, in order to get our data,'' he said.
> "But we seem trapped at the moment in needing to plug in to get our power.
> That's because we
> charge these things up electrically, from the outlet. But there's actually
> huge amounts of power all
> around us coming from the sun.''
> The film has the ability to be sprayed or woven into shirts so that our
> cuffs or collars could
> recharge our IPods, Sargent said.
> While that may sound like a Star Trek dream, venture capitalists are keen
> to Sargent's invention.
> Josh Wolfe, managing partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture
> capital firm, said
> while such a luxury may be five years away, the technology knows no
> bounds.
> "When you have a material advance which literally materially changes the
> way that energy is
> absorbed and transmitted to our devices... somebody out there tinkering
> away in a bedroom or in
> a government lab is going to come up with a great idea for a new device
> that will shock us all,'' he
> said in a phone interview.
> "When the Internet was created nobody envisioned that the killer app
> (application) would be
> e-mail or instant messaging.''
> Sargent's work was published in the online edition of Nature Materials on
> Sunday and will appear
> in its February issue.
>
<http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1105319242587_49?hub=SciTech>
> <regards>
> -het
> --
> "It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday
> is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow." - Robert Goddard
> PV FAQ: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/energy/pv_faq.html
> H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/
Posted by R.H. Allen on January 11, 2005, 10:00 am
H. E. Taylor wrote:
> Here's another one for the geewhiz file...
>
> The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable,
electrical energy. Today's
> best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
This statement is wholly inaccurate. Just last week I spoke to the
person directing this research (and attended a presentation by him), and
the best efficiencies they have obtained thus far are in the 7-8% range.
The quoted 30% efficiency is theoretical. Still, these are easily the
best organic PV cells produced to date.
At the end of the presentation he showed the progress of organic PV
efficiencies versus historical amorphous silicon efficiencies and they
looked remarkably similar. If they continue on the same path -- and if
they can avoid the plateau that a-Si eventually hit -- we should see
some pretty good efficiencies in the next 5-10 years. Whether they will
be manufacturable or durable in the field is another matter, a fact the
researchers fully acknowledge.
In other words, this press release is the typical hyperbole that
accompanies good results that bring prestige and funding to the
researchers and institutions.
Posted by Bubba bin Bubba on January 12, 2005, 5:59 am
> The discovery could lead to shirts and sweaters capable of recharging our
> cellphones and other
> wireless devices, said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer
> engineering at the
> university.
He forgot to say that it's only about two years away from production.
That's the usual line in bullshit stories like this.
> Here's another one for the geewhiz file...
> 2005/01/09: CTV: New [quantum dot polymer] plastic can better convert
> solar energy
> New plastic can better convert solar energy
> TORONTO - Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented an
> infrared-sensitive
> material that's five times more efficient at turning the sun's power into
> electrical energy than
> current
> methods.
> The discovery could lead to shirts and sweaters capable of recharging our
> cellphones and other
> wireless devices, said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer
> engineering at the
> university.
> Sargent and other researchers combined specially-designed minute particles
> called quantum dots,
> three to four nanometres across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can
> detect energy in the
> infrared.
> Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye but it is what most remote
> controls emit, in small
> amounts, to control devices such as TVs and DVD players.
> It also contains a huge untapped resource -- despite the surge in
> popularity of solar cells in the
> 1990s, we still miss half of the sun's power, Sargent said.
> "In fact, there's enough power from the sun hitting the Earth every day to
> supply all the world's
> needs for energy 10,000 times over,'' Sargent said in a phone interview
> Sunday from Boston. He
> is currently a visiting professor of nanotechnology at the Massachusetts
> Institute of Technology.
> Sargent said the new plastic composite is, in layman's terms, a layer of
> film that "catches'' solar
> energy. He said the film can be applied to any device, much like paint is
> coated on a wall.
> "We've done the same thing, but not with something that just sit there on
> the wall the way paint
> does,'' said the Ottawa native.
> "We've done it to make a device which actually harnesses the power in the
> room in the infrared.''
> The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable,
> electrical energy. Today's
> best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
> Sargent said the advance would not only wipe away that inefficiency, but
> also resolve the hassle of
> recharging our countless gadgets and pave the way to a true wireless
> world.
> "We now have our cellphones and our BlackBerries and we're walking around
> without the need
> to plug in, in order to get our data,'' he said.
> "But we seem trapped at the moment in needing to plug in to get our power.
> That's because we
> charge these things up electrically, from the outlet. But there's actually
> huge amounts of power all
> around us coming from the sun.''
> The film has the ability to be sprayed or woven into shirts so that our
> cuffs or collars could
> recharge our IPods, Sargent said.
> While that may sound like a Star Trek dream, venture capitalists are keen
> to Sargent's invention.
> Josh Wolfe, managing partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture
> capital firm, said
> while such a luxury may be five years away, the technology knows no
> bounds.
> "When you have a material advance which literally materially changes the
> way that energy is
> absorbed and transmitted to our devices... somebody out there tinkering
> away in a bedroom or in
> a government lab is going to come up with a great idea for a new device
> that will shock us all,'' he
> said in a phone interview.
> "When the Internet was created nobody envisioned that the killer app
> (application) would be
> e-mail or instant messaging.''
> Sargent's work was published in the online edition of Nature Materials on
> Sunday and will appear
> in its February issue.
>
<http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1105319242587_49?hub=SciTech>
> <regards>
> -het
> --
> "It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday
> is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow." - Robert Goddard
> PV FAQ: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/energy/pv_faq.html
> H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/
XML site map
> 2005/01/09: CTV: New [quantum dot polymer] plastic can better convert
> solar energy
> New plastic can better convert solar energy
> TORONTO - Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented an
> infrared-sensitive
> material that's five times more efficient at turning the sun's power into
> electrical energy than
> current
> methods.
> The discovery could lead to shirts and sweaters capable of recharging our
> cellphones and other
> wireless devices, said Ted Sargent, professor of electrical and computer
> engineering at the
> university.
> Sargent and other researchers combined specially-designed minute particles
> called quantum dots,
> three to four nanometres across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can
> detect energy in the
> infrared.
> Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye but it is what most remote
> controls emit, in small
> amounts, to control devices such as TVs and DVD players.
> It also contains a huge untapped resource -- despite the surge in
> popularity of solar cells in the
> 1990s, we still miss half of the sun's power, Sargent said.
> "In fact, there's enough power from the sun hitting the Earth every day to
> supply all the world's
> needs for energy 10,000 times over,'' Sargent said in a phone interview
> Sunday from Boston. He
> is currently a visiting professor of nanotechnology at the Massachusetts
> Institute of Technology.
> Sargent said the new plastic composite is, in layman's terms, a layer of
> film that "catches'' solar
> energy. He said the film can be applied to any device, much like paint is
> coated on a wall.
> "We've done the same thing, but not with something that just sit there on
> the wall the way paint
> does,'' said the Ottawa native.
> "We've done it to make a device which actually harnesses the power in the
> room in the infrared.''
> The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable,
> electrical energy. Today's
> best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
> Sargent said the advance would not only wipe away that inefficiency, but
> also resolve the hassle of
> recharging our countless gadgets and pave the way to a true wireless
> world.
> "We now have our cellphones and our BlackBerries and we're walking around
> without the need
> to plug in, in order to get our data,'' he said.
> "But we seem trapped at the moment in needing to plug in to get our power.
> That's because we
> charge these things up electrically, from the outlet. But there's actually
> huge amounts of power all
> around us coming from the sun.''
> The film has the ability to be sprayed or woven into shirts so that our
> cuffs or collars could
> recharge our IPods, Sargent said.
> While that may sound like a Star Trek dream, venture capitalists are keen
> to Sargent's invention.
> Josh Wolfe, managing partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture
> capital firm, said
> while such a luxury may be five years away, the technology knows no
> bounds.
> "When you have a material advance which literally materially changes the
> way that energy is
> absorbed and transmitted to our devices... somebody out there tinkering
> away in a bedroom or in
> a government lab is going to come up with a great idea for a new device
> that will shock us all,'' he
> said in a phone interview.
> "When the Internet was created nobody envisioned that the killer app
> (application) would be
> e-mail or instant messaging.''
> Sargent's work was published in the online edition of Nature Materials on
> Sunday and will appear
> in its February issue.
>