Photovoltaic energy has doubled in the last few years, not only in America, but also worldwide, including in developing countries. One of the proofs of how we are advancing are the first diamond solar panels, created almost from scratch, which will usher in a new way of producing electricity. Are we facing an invention of the 22nd century? Everything seems to point to it.
No more silicon on solar panels: New material could be more powerful than perovskite
Photovoltaics has traditionally relied on silicon cells, both monocrystalline and polycrystalline (whose differences we have already discussed). Then came perovskite, to revolutionize the known limits of efficiency, but now experts have produced the first diamond solar cells.
This innovative product is a stark indication of what is new in the seemingly inexhaustible quest for solar cell innovations, shifting away from silicon as the main material. This is because the properties of diamond, a material that is famous for its wear and tear specific heat and conducts thermal energy effectively.
In contrast to silicon-based panels, diamond solar panels can be made directly from atmospheric CO2 and CH4, or methane, eliminating the need for energy-intensive manufacturing steps. The said accomplishment is made possible by a methodology known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Why diamond will wreck the efficiency of solar panels: a look at innovation
Diamond has several outstanding properties that are beneficial for its application in solar engineering. To begin with, it is necessary to mention that diamond has the highest thermal conductivity among all known materials, including other solids under conditions close to normal temperature.
This thermal conductivity is essential for solar cells since it permits the prompt removal of excessive heat that could otherwise degrade the cells and help them obtain their maximum efficiency. In addition, it is one of the most efficient materials that allow electron mobility around it or through it with extreme resistance.
This characteristic prove to be especially beneficial for solar cells since it provides an effective means by which the charge carriers produced due to absorption of sunlight can be well collected and transported for maximum conversion efficiency of the solar cell.
Another remarkable feature of diamond is its substantial bandgap and characterization, which represents the energy necessary for the electron transfer from the valence band to the conduction band for the material to absorb and then turn a more range of the solar spectrum, including violet and ultraviolet oddities.
How have experts created diamond solar panels? It´s not an easy process
Diamond solar panels can be made through chemical vapor deposition, which is a deposition method for thin films. This technique allows for the making of diamond films from the carbon-hydrogen mixture, often constituted of methane and hydrogen gas.
The gas mixtures are then admitted into a vacuum enclosure, where it is further activated by heat and other forms of energy like microwave heat, hot filament or plasma. In CVD, a hydrocarbon gas decomposes and atomic carbon is generated to lay on a substrate base like silicon or metal and create a thin layer of diamond.
The substrate provides the support on which diamond forms, and the surface characteristics of the substrate are significant in influencing the characteristics of the diamond film and its growth direction. This is similar to what happens with perovskite, but with so different results.
When we told you that this seemed to be an invention of the next century, we were not exaggerating, and now you have been able to verify it. In fact, these diamond solar panels have opened the door to a new way of taking advantage of residual photovoltaic energy, which is wasted by the environment and causes the investment to take longer to recover. There are no more excuses to join the self-consumption.
This post was originally published on 3rd party site mentioned in the title of this site
