Measurement Advance Could Speed Innovation in Solar Devices A
new versatile measurement system devised by researchers at the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) accurately
and quickly measures the electric power output of solar energy
devices, capabilities useful to researchers and manufacturers
working to develop and make next-generation solar energy cells.
Innovative devices that convert sunlight to electric power more
efficiently and cost effectively than the current generation of
solar cell technology are the objects of a global pursuit—means
to reducing fossil-fuel consumption and to securing pole
position in the competition for fast-growing international
markets for clean energy sources. As reported in the journal
Applied Optics, the NIST team has combined 32 LEDs—each
generating light from different segments of the solar
spectrum—and other off-the-shelf equipment with their custom-
made technologies to build a system that measures the
wavelength-dependent quantum efficiency of solar de