Butterfly-shaped solar semiconductor power generation

Are semiconductors used in solar energy conversion based on photovoltaics?

Nature Communications 12, Article number: 4622 (2021) Cite this article Semiconductors have been used in solar energy conversion for decades based on the photovoltaic effect. An important challenge of photovoltaics is the undesired heat generated within the device.

What are photothermal conversions of solar energy?

Then, the state-of-the-art progress for photothermal conversions of solar energy is introduced in detail, mainly including photothermal water evaporation and desalination, photothermal catalysis, photothermal electric power generation, photothermal bacterial killing, photothermal sensors, and photothermal deicing.

Could a butterfly make solar panels more efficient?

The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels. Solar panels are usually made of thick solar cells, and are positioned at an angle to get the most amount of light from the sun as it moves throughout the day.

Could a black butterfly improve solar cell performance?

Scientists from KIT and Caltech utilize the disordered nanoholes of the black butterfly to improve solar cell performance. The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels.

How do semiconductors convert solar energy into heat?

Semiconducting materials convert solar energy into heat by absorbing the photon energy larger than their bandgaps, so that electrons in the valence band (VB) are able to be excited to the conductive band (CB). Next, excitation-state electrons and holes are produced in the CB and VB, respectively.

What is the efficiency of silicon heterojunction solar cells?

Sai, H., Umishio, H. & Matsui, T. Very thin (56 μm) silicon heterojunction solar cells with an efficiency of 23.3% and an open‐circuit voltage of 754 mV. Sol. RRL5, 21000634 (2021). Article  Google Scholar  Sun, Y. et al. Flexible organic solar cells: progress and challenges. Small Sci.1, 2100001 (2021).