LEGO makes solar panels more efficient

Published October 25, 2013 11:34am

Score one more for LEGO in the field of tech: the popular brick toy turned out to be the inspiration for a new generation of more efficient solar panels.

At the Imperial College London, researchers placed aluminum studs similar to those on LEGO bricks to get more energy from sunlight, compared to flat panels.

"The success of our technology, in combination with modern anti-reflection coatings, will take us a long way down the path towards highly efficient and thin solar cells that could be available at a competitive price," said Dr. Nicholas Hylton from the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, lead author of the study.

Such studs - so small they are virtually invisible - "bend and trap light inside the absorbing layer," the university said.

At the microscopic level, it noted the studs "make the surface of the solar panels look similar to the interlocking building bricks."

It added scientists showed the LEGO-like studs could improve the solar panels' efficiency by up to 22 percent.

Hylton said that while the efficiency and cost of commercial solar panels have improved in recent years, they remain expensive compared to fossil fuels.

The absorbing material alone takes up half the cost of a solar panel, he noted.

"Our aim has been to reduce to a minimum the amount that is needed," he added.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports by scientists from Imperial College London and collaborators in Belgium, China and Japan, the university said.

Bend, trap light

The university said Hylton and his colleagues attached aluminium cylinders just 100 nanometers across to the top of the solar panel.

These studs interact with passing light, causing individual light rays to change course.

"More energy is extracted from the light as the rays become effectively trapped inside the solar panel and travel for longer distances through its absorbing layer," the university said.

While scientists tried to bend light before using silver and gold studs, these materials reduced the panel's efficiency as they absorb some of the light before it enters the solar panel.

On the other hand, the scientists noted aluminium is "cheaper and far more abundant than silver and gold."

Future tech

The university said the technology opens the potential for making flexible solar panels "that could be applied to any flat or curved surface, which could be used to power everything from domestic appliances to portable electronics like laptops." — TJD, GMA News

Tags: lego, solarpanels, solarcells, alternativeenergy