https://en.sputniknews.africa/20241102/turning-vision-into-reality-south-african-scientist-makes-solar-power-breakthrough-1069003671.html
Turning Vision into Reality: South African Scientist Makes Solar Power Breakthrough
Turning Vision into Reality: South African Scientist Makes Solar Power Breakthrough
Sputnik Africa
In 2005, South African physicist Vivian Alberts changed solar power with a new thin-film technology that uses a light five-element alloy instead of silicon... 02.11.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-11-02T19:10+0100
2024-11-02T19:10+0100
2024-11-02T18:11+0100
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Turning Vision into Reality: South African Scientist Makes Solar Power Breakthrough
Sputnik Africa
In 2005, South African physicist Vivian Alberts changed solar power with a new thin-film technology that uses a light five-element alloy instead of silicon. Now patented in over 100 countries, this affordable option can make solar power more widely available, especially in developing countries where accessibility and cost are big factors.
While silicon is widely recognized as a semiconductor, its inefficiency in sunlight absorption poses significant challenges for solar technology. Thin-film materials like copper indium gallium selenide can achieve remarkable absorption rates with just one micron of material, paving the way for reduced production costs and enhanced efficiency, says Vivian Alberts, former professor of physics at the University of Johannesburg and senior principal researcher at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority R&D Centre in the United Arab Emirates.To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents.
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Turning Vision into Reality: South African Scientist Makes Solar Power Breakthrough
In 2005, South African physicist Vivian Alberts changed solar power with a new thin-film technology that uses a light five-element alloy instead of silicon. Now patented in over 100 countries, this affordable option can make solar power more widely available, especially in developing countries where accessibility and cost are big factors.
While silicon is widely recognized as a semiconductor, its inefficiency in sunlight absorption poses significant challenges for solar technology. Thin-film materials like copper indium gallium selenide can achieve remarkable absorption rates with just one micron of material, paving the way for reduced production costs and enhanced efficiency, says Vivian Alberts, former professor of physics at the University of Johannesburg and senior principal researcher at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority R&D Centre in the United Arab Emirates.
"Silicon is well known. Of course, it's used in all its conical devices, computers, and cell phones. It's a well-established semiconductor material. But actually, looking at silicon itself as a semiconductor, it's not ideally suited to convert sunlight into electrical power because it's called an indirect semiconductor material - meaning that it actually has a relatively poor ability to absorb sunlight and to convert it into electronic processes to provide electricity. So, the idea of different types of thin film materials like copper indium gallium diselenide [CIGS] which I developed, is that you only need one micron of this material, which is a thousand thousandth of the thickness of a human hair to absorb 99% of the incoming sun," Professor Alberts noted.
To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents. 
