August 22, 2010 | 8 The best places to collect solar energy are
also some of the dustiest on Earth and beyond, a quandary that
leads to inefficiencies in how well the cells are able to
convert strong sunlight into renewable electricity. The
solution, according to new research, is to coat solar cells with
material that enables them to chase away dirt particles on their
own with the help of dust-repelling electrical charges. A dust
layer of 4 grams per square meter can decrease solar power
conversion by 40 percent, says Malay Mazumder, a research
professor in Boston University’s Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering. To put this in perspective, dust
deposition in Arizona is about 17 grams per square meter per
month, and the situation is worse in many other solar-friendly
sites, including the Middle East, Australia and India. Mazumder,
who led the study, presented the results Sunday at the 240th
National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The
electrodynamic transparent screen developed b