NBC29UVA Solar Power Research

UVA Solar Power Research

Even though gas prices are slowly dropping there is still a growing demand for cheaper, cleaner energy. The University of Virginia is investing in research into sustainable energy, providing a $30,000 grant to a team who has found an innovative and more efficient way to harness solar power.

It is easy to tell that the solar cells are different just by looking at them. Rather than reflective and shiny, these cells are flat black which means they absorb more light than the current technology and produce energy more efficiently. The black solar cells get their unique surface properties from a laser which creates microscopic peaks 100 times smaller than a human hair.

UVA professor Mool Gupta says the laser texturizing increases the efficiency of the solar cells by about 30 percent without significantly raising production costs. With energy prices on the rise, Gupta says now is the time to look into improving sustainable forms of energy like solar power. "You have potential for another source of energy that is available throughout the world, cleaner and environmentally friendly and that's the right thing to do." He stated.

Gupta says he discovered the nano peaks by accident when he thought he ruined a normal, reflective solar cell by treating it with the laser.

Gupta and his team will use the seed grant to gather more data on the black solar cells to try to fuel more research into the technology. Gupta's team is one of a handful of research teams at UVA who received seed grants to help investigate sustainable energy.

Reported by Claire O'Brien
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