The effect of optical discs on solar power generation

Can a Blu-ray Disc help solar cells absorb sunlight?

The Northwestern researchers have demonstrated that a Blu-ray disc’s strings of binary code 0s and 1s, embedded as islands and pits to store video information, give solar cells the near-optimal surface texture to improve their absorption over the broad spectrum of sunlight.

Can Blu-ray discs be recycled into solar panels?

While it’s certainly appealing to think about recycling our Blu-ray discs directly into more efficient solar panels, a more realistic approach might be to use the mass-production infrastructure that’s already in place to create optical media that’s adapted to improving solar cell performance.

What is the optical efficiency of a solar dish concentrator?

Zanganeh et al. developed a solar dish concentrator based on ellipsoidal polyester membrane facets which could reach an optical efficiency of 90% while maintaining a good optical tolerance, and V-groove reflectors have shown optical efficiencies of >80% within systems and helped surpass 2D concentration limits .

How do optoelectronic devices improve photovoltaic education?

Characteristics of optoelectronic devices Important parameters utilized in the study of optoelectronic devices have been documented by Christiana Honsberg and Stuart Bowden in a survey to improve photovoltaic education include short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor and cell efficiency.

Can a Blu-ray Disc improve light absorption?

An interdisciplinary research team has discovered that the pattern of information written on a Blu-ray disc -- and it doesn’t matter if it’s Jackie Chan’s “Police Story 3: Supercop” or the cartoon “Family Guy” -- works very well for improving light absorption across the solar spectrum. And better yet, the researchers know why.

Should solar cells be replaced with optical devices to capture light?

Solar cells can operate at increased efficiencies under higher solar concentration and replacing solar cells with optical devices to capture light is an effective method of decreasing the cost of a system without compromising the amount of solar energy absorbed.