The high cost of solar photovoltaic installations prevents them from providing more than about 1% of the world's electricity requirement. A solution would be to incorporate an optical concentrator in the solar photovoltaic module that would save on expensive materials without compromising electrical output.
Optical concentrators focus solar energy on a small area attached to a photovoltaic cell (P. Gleckman et al. Nature 339, 198–200; 1989). However, this technology has been held back by its complex manufacturing and assembly processes, its modest electrical-conversion efficiency and a lack of government funding and policy.
Researchers, industries and governments must work together to resolve the technical issues associated with this promising technology and come up with a practical, industry-ready design to revive the solar energy market.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Munir, A., Muhammad-Sukki, F. & Bani, N. Solar energy needs focus. Nature 529, 466 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/529466e
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/529466e
This article is cited by
-
Simultaneously Efficient Solar Light Harvesting and Charge Transfer of Hollow Octahedral Cu2S/CdS p–n Heterostructures for Remarkable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation
Transactions of Tianjin University (2021)