Physics researchers at Lund University in Sweden have successfully created nanowire solar cells, which are tiny solar radiation-collecting antennas that are more compatible with the solar spectrum than current silicon solar cells, as per a press release.
The nanowires will now be put for testing on satellites powered by solar cells. The efficiency and low weight will be the most crucial element of the novel tech.
The team claims that the nanowires are light and need little material per unit of area. The new solar cells were recently launched to orbit as well.
"The big challenge was to get the current to transfer between the materials. It took more than ten years, but it worked in the end," Magnus Borgström, professor of solid state physics, said in a statement.
To read more, click here.