Electrical engineers from the University of Utah have developed a polychromat layer capable of using clear plastic or glass over a solar panel to sort and collect sunlight. This new development could increase the overall efficiency of solar cells by up to 50 percent.
The team created a polychromat that was 50 millimeters wide and 10 millimeters long and included 3 micrometer wide grooves that sorts the incoming light and placed it on a photovoltaic device. Through testing, the team found a 16 percent increase in power efficiency when the polychromat layer is added. The next step in the project is to collaborate with solar cell manufacturers to incorporate these polychromats into commercial solar cells.
