Jackie Chan boosts solar panel efficiency by a massive 22% - Polidicks

[url]http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/194938-jackie-chan-blu-ray-disc-boosts-solar-panel-efficiency-by-a-massive-22[/url] [QUOTE] This one’s a bit crazy, but stick with me. Blu-ray discs, like CDs and DVDs before them, consist of a thin layer — or layers — of recording medium sandwiched between two bits of plastic. Data is stored on this medium in a series of pits — small indentations — that are about 75nm long. To read the data, a laser is bounced off the recording medium — where the medium is smooth and untouched (usually referred to as [I]islands[/I]), the laser light bounces straight back into a sensor; where the pits are, the laser is reflected differently. Thus, binary data can be stored and read. In the case of Blu-ray, the binary data isn’t just burnt directly to the disc — compression is applied, and error control codes are added so that data can be recovered in the case of light scratches. Because the error control codes are applied every few bytes, the end result is a disc covered in quasi-random pits and islands that have a recurring pattern every 150 to 525 nanometers. (The iridescence — rainbow effect — of optical discs is caused by this repeating pattern, in case you wondered.) As it turns out, these two characteristics — a quasi-random pattern, repeating every 150 to 525nm — are almost perfectly tuned for trapping photons in the visible light and near-infrared spectrum. One of the main reasons that current solar cells aren’t that efficient is because many photons simply reflect off the panel, rather than being converted into electrons. You can probably see where this is going. [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]The end result is a solar panel that has a quantum efficiency of around 40% — up about 22% from the non-patterned solar panel. [/QUOTE] Welllll, I mean AFAIK commercial solar panels are 22% but there have been solar panels that go a little bit past 44%, I seem to remember some company selling them to businesses but I can't seem to find it drowned out in the swarm of news articles about similar results. I wonder if the 44%+ solar panels have done this, or if their techniques could be combined

[img]http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/cd-dvd-blu-ray-diagram-recording-laser.jpg[/img] Cool.

[QUOTE=Bat-shit;46606272][img]http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/cd-dvd-blu-ray-diagram-recording-laser.jpg[/img] Cool.[/QUOTE] I'll take your word for it because all i see is frogger.

A Chuck Norris Blu-ray would capture all the photons and make the solar cells 100% efficient.

Isn't this Chan guy sports a 4chan moniker and hacks celebrities' cloud storages?

An excellent development. I wonder if someone could use a 3D printer and a strategically-etched Blu-Ray to transform said Blu-Ray into a makeshift solar panel? THAT would be cool.

This is a pretty neat trick!

Actually it'd probably make sense to sand off the data-bearing side then put it on top of some kind of silicon wafer. That'd be more likely for turning a Blu-Ray into a solar converter...

[QUOTE=AntonioR;46606337]A Chuck Norris Blu-ray would capture all the photons and make the solar cells 100% efficient.[/QUOTE] This post is like a time machine to 2005.

[QUOTE=ironman17;46606372]Actually it'd probably make sense to sand off the data-bearing side then put it on top of some kind of silicon wafer. That'd be more likely for turning a Blu-Ray into a solar converter...[/QUOTE] Then you just removed what makes the bluray disc catch light so well [quote] Because the error control codes are applied every few bytes, the end result is a disc covered in quasi-random pits and islands that have a recurring pattern every 150 to 525 nanometers. (The iridescence — rainbow effect — of optical discs is caused by this repeating pattern, in case you wondered.)[/quote]

[QUOTE=AntonioR;46606337]A Chuck Norris Blu-ray would capture all the photons and make the solar cells 100% efficient.[/QUOTE] Chuck Norris would likely call solar panels witchcraft and another tool of the gay agenda conspiracy.

[QUOTE=Snickerdoodle;46606375]This post is like a time machine to 2005.[/QUOTE] You are right, kids here probably don't even know who he is.

I had to read this a few times cause I was sure that Jackie Chan was a spelling error or something. [QUOTE=AntonioR;46606337]A Chuck Norris Blu-ray would capture all the photons and make the solar cells 100% efficient.[/QUOTE] top lels the hilarity is over 9000 ☻/ /▌ / \ this is bob copy and paste him to help take over facepunch

To anybody who's wondering why the title says Jackie Chan when he isn't mentioned in the OP, the researchers who made the discovery used a Blu-ray of Jackie Chan's new movie to test it out.

What's the magic number that has to be reached in order to make solar panels actually viable and not laughable? Somewhere around 80% efficiency or so, right? I forget.

[QUOTE=Ardosos;46608763]What's the magic number that has to be reached in order to make solar panels actually viable and not laughable? Somewhere around 80% efficiency or so, right? I forget.[/QUOTE] I'd say their pretty viable right now and not a laughing stock. They're just so damn expensive for what you get out of them.

[QUOTE=Code3Response;46608833]I'd say their pretty viable right now and not a laughing stock. They're just so damn expensive for what you get out of them.[/QUOTE] I thought that there hasn't been a single solar panel ever made that was capable of producing the same amount of energy required to manufacture it, let alone surpass it? Or have I missed some recent breaktrhough?

Chinese solar panel berry efficient

[QUOTE=AntonioR;46606482]You are right, kids here probably don't even know who he is.[/QUOTE] Hi I'm from 2006 and we'd like our meme's back [QUOTE=Code3Response;46608833]I'd say their pretty viable right now and not a laughing stock. They're just so damn expensive for what you get out of them.[/QUOTE] I always wanted some panels but I'm not even sure if it'd be that worth it

[QUOTE=Code3Response;46608833]I'd say their pretty viable right now and not a laughing stock. They're just so damn expensive for what you get out of them.[/QUOTE]Buy reject cells in bulk, discard the truly shit ones, and then wire up a panel yourself. Some people leave these massive gaps between the cells, but try to minimize that as much as possible. Solder up the cells, put them in a nifty frame you built, (bonus points if it's got a vacuum inside, or is filled with an inert gas) and then wire up the frame with it's siblings to get all the power. This method is somewhat labor intensive, but really cheap and puts out almost as much as commercial panels. (provided you get lucky with those cells, some of them will be pathetic)

[QUOTE=ImperialGuard;46607936] top lels the hilarity is over 9000 ☻/ /▌ / \ this is bob copy and paste him to help take over facepunch[/QUOTE] You sure showed him, man.

[QUOTE=Ardosos;46608969]I thought that there hasn't been a single solar panel ever made that was capable of producing the same amount of energy required to manufacture it, let alone surpass it? Or have I missed some recent breaktrhough?[/QUOTE] Every solar panel is capable of producing the amount of energy required to manufacture it. Question is, how quickly?

[QUOTE=Skerion;46609192]You sure showed him, man.[/QUOTE] thanks I couldn't have done it without you.

I read about this a few days ago. I had to go through three articles before I actually got the real explanation for what exactly gave the boost in efficiency. The first two articles basically sounded like scientists glued bluray discs to solar panels and they magically increased the performance or some shit. It's just the pattern that appears on the surface of the disc that affects the efficiency, not the material or anything.

how about these scientists worry about more pressing matters, like boosting my sex life by 22%?

[QUOTE=Elexar;46611300]how about these scientists worry about more pressing matters, like boosting my sex life by 22%?[/QUOTE] 22% of 0 is still 0 etc. etc.

goddammit science!!!

[QUOTE=Code3Response;46608833]I'd say their pretty viable right now and not a laughing stock. [B]They're just so damn expensive for what you get out of them.[/B][/QUOTE] that is efficiency though, cost effectiveness, solar panels aren't that great at that right now

[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;46612872]that is efficiency though, cost effectiveness, solar panels aren't that great at that right now[/QUOTE] they are in the long run afaik problem is they're a huge initial investment