A new method of producing solar cells could reduce the
amount of silicon per unit area by 90 per cent compared to the current
standard. With the high prices of pure silicon, this will help cut the cost of
solar power.
“We’re using less expensive raw materials, and smaller
amounts of them, we have fewer
production steps and our total energy consumption is potentially lower,”
explain PhD candidate Fredrik Martinsen and Professor Ursula Gibson, from
NTNU’s Department of Physics.