solar energy cells

The use of solar power panels to harness the sun’s rays for sustainable renewable energy is nothing new. In fact, solar energy has been used for hundreds of years in a variety of forms but has only recently been understood and utilized in the past century.

Most people have an idea of how solar energy works but the solar power panels themselves are something of a mystery. How do they work to capture energy from the sun to create a usable energy to power your microwave, television, lights and other electrical appliances?

Static is not a word that describes the Sino-Italian Ecological and Energy-Efficient Building (SIEEB) at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

A new generation of ultra thin solar modules that can be integrated into the facades of buildings at low cost is to be produced in Germany next year.

The German company Schueco has joined up with E.ON, the country's biggest energy company, to invest 100 million euros [$US 136 million] in the research and production of this new ultra thin solar technology that cuts down on the need for silicon, the costly raw material for solar cells.