Midnight Sun

• Autores: Naomi Lubick
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2901, 2013, págs. 34-37
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Solar research has focused almost exclusively on efficiency. Every day, the sun bathes the planet in more energy than they can hope to consume in a year. But harvesting it is not easy. Even the best available technology--the billion dollar solar panels made from expensive combinations of rare earth elements used by the International Space Station--can only convert 46% of the sun's energy to electricity, and that's under ideal conditions. The usual figure is much lower. Back on Earth, cheaper, silicon-based photovoltaics mop up about 15 to 20 percent. Here, Lubick investigates solar power could run all night with a little help from an unlikely source.