In November 2005, the Pentagon teamed up with corporate investors to hand out the largest solar power research grant ever: $53 million, to the University of Delaware. The giant pile of cash came with a equally enormous goal, though. Delaware researchers were supposed to radically improve solar cells' efficiency -- doubling it in just a few short years. They're getting real close, the University says.
Most photovoltaics today can only absorb a single, narrow band of light at a time. As a result, 80 percent or more of the energy that hits the cells is wasted. The highest-end cells might edge up to 25% efficiency, max.
But the Delaware team has now boosted that to 42.8%, and the researchers think they're on their way to 50%. If the research progresses, soldiers could wind up saying goodbye to many of the bulky batteries that weigh down their rucksacks. The rest of us might finally get solar power that doesn't cost any more than burning fossil fuels.
