Many of us might thing that solar cells are something new and cutting edge. Well the truth is that they have been around for decades. The buzz surrounding them now is caused mainly by the soaring gas prices and the green movement in general. The solar cells technology is at its third generation.
The first generation the classic photovoltaic silicon based cells still represents more than 80% of all the installations. They are highly effective but bulky and expensive.
The second generation tries to address the shortcomings of its predecessors. The lightweight and flexible thin-film solar cells are very low cost. They can be arranged in many different ways making their use much more suitable for urban settings. Despite their lower efficiency they are expected to dominate the solar market in a few years.
The third generation of cells are actually a group of technologies that are still being researched. The research is directed towards new materials like polymers and nanotechnology and away from silicon-based materials. The idea is to merge the flexibility and low cost of the thin-film cells and the effectiveness of the classic silicon based cells. I will try to cover the new technologies in a later post.
