Sean Kelly
Free Thinker
offline
Registered: Jan 2003
Local time: 05:40 PM
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 4292
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New plastic can better convert solar energy
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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.
[...]
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.
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shirts & sweaters for recharging cell phones?! This is a HUGE discovery and that's the best application they could think of as an example!? Retarded!
If the thing is based of collecting infrared energy, it doesn't even need to be in sunlight. You could bury these things in the ground and collect energy from the planet's core and wire it up to the surface. Even easier in volcanically active regions where heat is near the surface (though an admittedly risky investment to install things in the ground in volcanically active regions.) 
Smile; It confuses people.  |
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01-10-2005 08:02 PM
