Benefits of the Solar Technology - Research Paper Example

?Introduction: Energy is the basic necessity for life. At the present man utilizes various sources to produce energy for their requirements. With theexploitation of non renewable resources on a large basis we are facing a situation in which we don’t have enough sources to produce the energy we required. This situation was identified so early and has discovered many solutions, one of which is the usage of solar energy. With solar energy, it has the advantage that it is available in plenty and only thing that is required is some technique to convert it into usable form. Many devices have been developed for this from the ancient times itself; one of them is the solar panels, which is used to capture and convert solar energy into thermal energy. But the key challenge in solar panel technology is the identification of efficient and cost effective method to convert, store and use solar energy. This has encouraged the development of Nano Tube Solar Panels. It advanced solution to energy requirements, that too in a cost effective manner with a greater efficiency. Earlier silicon panels were used which used highly doped p-n junction in between two pure silicon crystals to form the panel. This panel was so difficult to make as it requires semi conducting material which is highly doped with phosphorous or arsenic to give its character and it should be grown between two pure silicon crystals at high temperature. This manufacturing process is very costly as well involves many risks. Also this type of panels has very high payback time and very short life span There is a wide need for a change in the source of energy for public and private requirements. Government announces some energy conservation plans, of which one of them was “non conventional energy sources like recovering energy like solar energy should be used for lighting at public places like street lights traffic etc” (Jain 2009, p. 254). A, The technology and its benefits:   Nano Tube Solar Panels Technology A.1 technology: The new technology does not alter theory behind the behind the development of solar panels, it is all about reducing the disadvantages from them. Here carbon nano tubes are used instead of one of the silicon crystals. Carbon nano tubes can provide higher efficiency and better thermal conductivity than any other element used for this purpose. Carbon nano tubes are intrinsic p-type semi conducting material, usually made of titanium dioxide nano particles or rolled up sheet of graphene. Unlike in earlier version, in which sunlight is converted into electrons and utilized as electric current, here sunlight is made into nano particles, which can increase the efficiency by a larger means. According to Nanowelded Carbon Nanotubes: From Field-Effect Transistors to Solar Microcells Chongjin Chen, Yafei Zhang nanotubes are prepared by depositing organic films containing SWNTs on to a glass substrates coated with indium-tin oxide (ITO).As a final mix a sandwich configuration is made as Aluminum electrodes were thermally evaporated under vacuum to form a sandwich configuration. Because of the interaction of the carbon nanotubes with the polymer poly (3-octylthiophene) (P3OT), excitons generated by the light in the polymer allow charge separation of the photogenerated excitons in the polymer and efficient electron transport to the electrode through the nanotubes. The electrons travel through the entire nanotubes and then hop or tunnel to the next nanotubes. As a result of which electron mobility increases and balances the charge carrier transport to the electrodes. Here the composite’s conductivity is also increased by a factor of 10. This process can increase the photovoltaic performance, by increasing the photocurrent by more than two orders of magnitude and doubling the open circuit voltage. “Scientists now have a much better understanding of the complex interplay between the electronic and physical interaction polymer, and the fullerene component can assist in the design of the next generation of optimized organic solar cells” (Lau 2011, p. 14). A.2 Benefits of the technology: With energy being a common issue among people, this device can have customers from different sections of the society.  Now everyone wants an alternate to the energy, as such this device can turn out be the one. Being small and cost effective can attract many individual customers and high efficiency and life time can produce industrial customers as well. Smaller panels consisting of fewer cells can be useful to house hold customers. It can serve their energy requirements in an efficient manner; this helps them to reduce paying for the other energy sources. Larger panels having many cells connected can be useful for the big industries and factories. As they require large amount of energy for their purpose, other resources turns out be few and also costly. Carbon nano tube panels can turn out to be a solution to their problem. They seem to be the large customers for this device. “The use of uniformly ordered TiO2 nanotubes arrays can be one of the ways to increase electron transportation due to the enhanced inter-tube connections that improve the electron percolation” (Yahya 2010, p. 269). A.3Customers and their benefits: This technology can serve as a cost effective replacement for the current energy sources. Customers find it easy t o use, maintain and install. “CNT’s are attractive materials for the electrodes of electrochemical energy storage devices owing to their superb characteristics of chemical stability, low mass density, low receptivity, and large surface area. Recent developments in larger-scale synthesis of CNT’s [9±11] have accelerated application of these materials in the area of electrical energy storage systems” (An, et al. 2001). Cost of carbon nano tubes solar panels is very low as compared to silicon panels. This cost will reduce further as the production of carbon nano tubes increases. Now the cost of panels varies with number of units, diameter and number of carbon walls used. B, Alternate applications for the technology: Nano Tube Solar Panels Technology B.1 Usage of the technology for other applications Nano tube solar panels can be used in wide variety applications. It can find the applications small and large devices. NASA is combining carbon Nanotubes with other materials into composites, that can be used to build lightweight spacecraft Use as electron emitting electrodes due to the thermionic properties of high purity, single walled carbon nano tubes (SWNTs) “Process emission control                “Application of nano materials can improve the processes to decrease formation and emission of industrial and agricultural wastes, including emission of ozone depleting gases [e.g. chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and green house gases], flue gas recovery solvent vapor fractionation, solvent vapor recovery, waste water treatment and supply/production of drinking water” (Zhang 2009, p.443). As a continuation of this research this device can be optimized, this can process can enable this device to compared with cells which uses different electron acceptors. It can be produced on large scale for industrial purposes. Considering industrial application the main advantage of this device is that it can be fabricated in a cost effective manner. Also for practical purposes it can be used in the preparation of different products having complex shapes and patterns, using simple processing technology. “nanoscale technology presently in research development include other approaches to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of solar cells using low cost materials, and allowing flexible installation on rooftops, walls and other locations. As we enlarge better solar cells with nano technology, it will become possible to begin replacing other fuel technology with solar energy” (Allhoff et al. 2007, p. 60). B.2 Big applications and what are the small applications: The application of carbon nano tubes can be broadly classified into two categories i.e. small applications and big applications. Small applications include Usage in organic photovoltaic devices as well as hybrid organic-inorganic photovoltaic devices It can replace many small devices in electronic and electrical devices. It can be used in storage devices like NRAM. It can be used batteries Can be used as a superconducting material, when operated appropriate conditions. It can serve as a small energy sources for variety of devices. Apart from this it is also used in big applications like, With its good strength to weight ratio, it can be used in combination with other materials for building light weight spacecrafts. It can be used in variety medical applications and also in various sensors. “Carbon nanotubes can be regarded as a novel transparent electronic “material” with excellent – and tunable – electrical, optical and mechanical properties. The films display high conductivity, high carrier mobility and optical transparency, in addition to flexibility, robustness and environmental resistance” (Gruner & Chem 2006). B.3 Market: Carbon nano tube solar panels can find its way into the market directly as well indirectly as integration with other devices. It can be used in calculators, batteries, house hold articles, industrial applications and so on. “Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), fullerenes and quantum dots are being used to make solar cells, lighter cheaper and more efficient. For example, constructing photovoltaic with vertical layer CNT’s greatly increases the amount of light that can be accumulated. Another ground that nano technology will impact is increasing the photovoltaic efficiency” (Fulekar 2010, p. 42). Stephen Baker and Adam Aston expressed their views on the market for solar panels in their journal called business week. According to the companies’ large and small scale this era is rushing more nano based products from labs to the market place. Consumers have always promoted the spread of renewable sources using nano technology. According the journal people has always encouraged the production of anno based product s and they are in need of renewable source of energy for their basic needs. All these can encourage the companies to produce and enter into the market with the nano based solar panels on a large scale. “In the next decade this technology will be in cooperated into products worth $2.9 trillion, and most of this revenue will be from the new emerging technology. This would include a $30,000 car with $200 side panels improved by nano technology” (Standage 2005, p. 325). Cost analysis: Solar panels brand dimension watt cost Solartech SPM010P-D Solartech 14.4-inch by 12.2-inch by 0.71-inch, Weight: 3.3-pound 10 $65.77 Solartech SPM085P-TS Solartech 38-inch by 26-inch by 1.4-inch, Weight: 26-pound 85 $336.32 Solartech SPM030P Solartech 26.2-inch by 16.2-inch by 1-inch, Weight: 5-1/2-pound 30 $149.97 Solar 2 GO ISB-RL01 Solartech 14.5-inch by 11.2-inch by 0.81-inch, Weight: 3.9-pound 10 $249.99 Solartech SPM130P Solartech 58-inch by 26-inch by 2-inch, Weight: 26-pound 130 $489.97 Solartech SPM020P Solartech 22-inch by 14-inch by 0.71-inch, Weight: 5-1/2-pound 20 $111.17 Solartech SPM040P-N Solartech 38.8-inch by 15.1-inch by 1.4-inch, Weight: 5-1/2-pound 40 $187.66 Solartech SPM055P-N Solartech 25.7-inch by 25.2-inch by 1.4-inch, Weight: 5-1/2-pound 55 $241 Solartech SPM065P-N Solartech 25.7-inch by 25.2-inch by 1.4-inch, Weight: 5-1/2-pound 65 $273.24 Solartech SPM005P-D Solartech 14.2-inch by 8-1/2-inch by 0.71-inch, Weight: 2.2-pound 5 $39.55 Advantages: Nano tube solar can have many advantages, Requires less spacing and cost High efficiency and effectiveness. Can be easily fabricated and reproduced. “Nanotubes are 10 times stiffer than conventional graphite and are extremely durable” (Dutta & Gupta 2006, p. 123). According to Jack W. Plunkett in his book called Plunkett's Nanotechnology and MEMS Industry Almanac 2006 explained the theory behind the carbon nano tubes and its applications. Carbon nano tubes are molecules of pure carbon atoms together to form tubes one billionth of meter in diameter. Properly used nanotubes offer amazing strength. A nanotubes can be more than 20 times stronger than steel. Products enhanced with nanotechnology sell at the upper end of the price scale, making them appropriate for the introduction of costly new technologies. Lesser price can attract many customers in to the mix. Because of their small size, nano scale devices can readily interact with bimolecular on both the surface and the inside of the cell. Conclusion: Due to the high energy demands and energy crisis, the need for solution was increasing day by day. As such this device can turn be effective solution for the energy requirements any class of people. More or less this device offers high efficiency, low cost and high potential which makes it an interesting prospect in the world market. With the introduction of this the overall energy demand will be sufficiently in an effective manner. Reference List Allhoff, F, Lin, P, Moor, J & Weckert, J 2007, Nanoethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology, J.Wiley, Canada. Available at: http://books.google.co.in/books?id=aL2QThQPuxgC&pg=PA60&dq=benefits+of+Nanotube+Solar+Panels+Technology&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 26 April 2011]. An, KH, Kim, WS, Park, YS, Moon, JM, Bae, DJ, Lim, SC, Lee, YS & Lee, Yh 2001, Electrochemical Properties of High-Power Supercapacitors Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Electrodes, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH. Weinheim. Available at: http://nanotube.skku.ac.kr/data/paper/advfunc.pdf [Accessed 5 May 2011]. Dutta, P & Gupta, S 2006, Understanding of Nano Science and Technology, 1st edn, Globl Vision Publishing House, New Delhi. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Dr. Yahya, N 2010, Carbon and Oxide Nanostructures: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications, Springer, New York. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Fulekar, MH 2010, Nanotechnology: Importance and Applications. I. K. International Pvt Ltd, New Delhi. Available at: http://books.google.co.in/books?id=wYie57y1zj8C&pg=PA42&dq=Nanotube+Solar+Panels+Technology+and+its+benefits&hl=en&ei=ujm2TaGiDsTirAff-9HgDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CIIBEOgBMAY4FA#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 26 April 2011]. Gruner, G & Chem, J. M 2006, Journal of Materials Chemistry. RSC. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Jain, AK 2009, Low Carbon City: Policy, Planning and Practice, Discovery Publishing House Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Lau, AK 2011, Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites, Taylor and Francis Group, LLC, USA. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Standage, T 2005, The Future of Technology, The Economist in Association with Profile Books Ltd, London. Available at: [Accessed 15 June 2011]. Zhang, TC 2009, Nanotechnologies for Water Environment Applications, ASCE Publications. Available at: http://books.google.co.in/books?id=fLFIZeAXzoIC&dq=Nanotube+Solar+Panels+Technology+and+applications&source=gbs_navlinks_s [Accessed 26 April 2011]. Read More