Green Options » ZnO

Can the World’s Worst CD and DVD Manufacturer Do Better with Solar Energy?

Matthew Phelan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:44:35 +0000

Sun Well Solar—a subsidiary of the notoriously poor CD and DVD manufacturer, CMC Magnetics—has announced today that it is one month ahead of schedule in the ramp-up of its new photovoltaic production line.

Zinc Oxide Breakthrough Creates High Performing LEDs

Jerry James Stone — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:48:47 +0000

German scientists have discovered a method of hydrogen doping that allows the production of higher-performing LEDs and other semiconductors.

Breakthrough Zinc Oxide Process Increases Thin Film Solar Performance

Andrew Williams — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:54:51 +0000

Solar PV manufacturer Oerlikon Solar has pioneered a new thin film solar technology process, which it claims has made its solar cells 7 per cent efficient - a 16 per cent energy improvement over its previous technology. The advance has led to a 50 per cent increase in the capacity of its thin film solar fabrication plant.

So, why is this important? Well, thin film cells are typically a lot cheaper to produce than more common silicon solar cells, but often suffer from significantly lower conversion efficiencies. Oerlikon’s breakthrough moves us a lot closer to the day when thin film becomes more cost-effective than silicon-based panels - which could mean a dramatic rise in the adoption of solar power in homes and businesses.