Berkeley Labs. Discovery may yield full spectrum solar cell. Extremely interesting if it pans out. Basically, some new work in materials technology for LEDs has led to the development of a low cost compound that works across the full spectrum of visible light. ~70% efficiency vs. ~15-20% currently. I did a little work on what it would cost to power my home, and I found that a $14k system would supply about 1/3 of my needs using existing solar cell technology. If similar price points are in place (based on the size of the panels) with a more efficient system, I could buy a system that supplies all of my needs and provide a recoupment of 100% of the investment in 4 years (and that's in New England!). [John Robb's Radio Weblog]
9:17:44 AM 
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