Inexpensive thin-film solar cells aren't as efficient as conventional solar cells, but a new coating that incorporates nanoscale metallic particles could help close the gap. Broadband Solar, a startup spun out of Stanford Univ. late last year, is developing coatings that increase the amount of light these solar cells absorb.
SPIE Member Mark Brongersma, professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, is scientific advisor to the new company. Brongersma has presented nearly 60 papers at SPIE conferences, and has papers scheduled at SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing next month and at SPIE Optics and Photonics in August. He is on the solar conference program committee for SPIE Photonics Europe, to be held next month in Brussels.
Read the full story in MIT Technology Review about the new coatings developed by Broadband Solar.
