Double the Efficiency, Double the Fun? Two Sided Solar Cells?

I ran across an interesting concept today, 2 sided solar cells.  A Swiss scientist, Michael Grätzel of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (http://isic2.epfl.ch/page58671-en.html) has come up with a concept where a solar cell can be doubly efficient as it can collect light for both sides.

The article can be found on New Scientist.com (http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn15059-twofaced-approach-creates-solar-cells-to-dye-for.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news3_head_dn15059)

Excerpt: “Solar cells could become cheaper and more efficient, thanks to a cheap dye-based design that can capture sunlight from both sides simultaneously.

Dye-sensitized solar cells contain no silicon, but instead rely on the interaction between light and a dye coated on to tiny grains of titanium dioxide, a cheap white pigment.

The grains sit in a liquid that acts as an electrolyte, picking up electrons released by the dye as it absorbs light, generating current.”

This is a very interesting concept in that it takes a different approach to generating solar power than the silicon panel.  I hope that they can continue to develop this and bring it to market soon!

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