Looks like the physics are there to make a practical SOTS powered car. Since today’s best cells lose around 70% of the sun’s energy to heat, there needed to be a different physical mechanism to extract more electrons. Enter the nanotube.


“Using a carbon nanotube instead of traditional silicon, Cornell researchers have created the basic elements of a solar cell that hopefully will lead to much more efficient ways of converting light to electricity than now used in calculators and on rooftops.

..."We are not only looking at a new material, but we actually put it into an application -- a true solar cell device," said first author Nathan Gabor, a graduate student in McEuen's lab.

...The nanotube, they discovered, may be a nearly ideal photovoltaic cell because it allowed electrons to create more electrons by utilizing the spare energy from the light.
This is unlike today's solar cells, in which extra energy is lost in the form of heat, and the cells require constant external cooling.

Though they have made a device, scaling it up to be inexpensive and reliable would be a serious challenge for engineers, Gabor said.

"What we've observed is that the physics is there," he said.”


http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Sept09/NanotubeSolarCells.html

That's an article to Intel's latest fab technology. Try this one, instead:

Physicsworld (http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/40332)

I fixed the link, thanks for the other article.

Great. More stuff to wait for someday.

Great. More stuff to wait for someday.




Hahahaha. I know what you mean. It's like with EEstor, I feel like a jaded ex-lover to a beautiful but extremely bitchy runway model who you bitch about to anyone that will listen but would secretly take back in a heartbeat. Man, I hate that! lol.

Texas for years on end: "EEscam you suck, I hate you! You can rot in hell!!!"

EEstor in the year 2015: "Sorry everyone for being a bit late, you can now buy our EESUs for 100% above our original retail price that we quoted a decade ago. Deal with it. Oh, quantities are limited and we are going on vacation for a few months."

Texas the next day: "Dear Sirs, please accept my certified cashiers check for 10 EESUs to be delivered at your earliest convenience. Thank you and have fun on your vacation."

Bitchy runway model? Not recommended.

"If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, you should make an ugly girl your wife." - some country's proverb, sensible advice.


I thought the PhysicsWorld article inluded mention of potential conversion efficiency but now I don't see any such reference. However, I noticed a reference to doing the experiments at "90K" which is pretty darned cold, if they're referring to degrees, Kelvin.

And on the way to looking up a complementary report in "Science," I found this bit of disheartening news:

Wind in China (Link to Science) (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/325/5946/1378)

It sure seems like the Chinese leadership gets it and so many of ours just don't.

Bitchy runway model? Not recommended.

"If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, you should make an ugly girl your wife." - some country's proverb, sensible advice.


I thought the PhysicsWorld article inluded mention of potential conversion efficiency but now I don't see any such reference. However, I noticed a reference to doing the experiments at "90K" which is pretty darned cold, if they're referring to degrees, Kelvin.

And on the way to looking up a complementary report in "Science," I found this bit of disheartening news:

Wind in China (Link to Science) (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/325/5946/1378)

It sure seems like the Chinese leadership gets it and so many of ours just don't.

Even if the American President and 59 out of 100 Senators 'get' the need for decisive action, the obstructionist minority Party can filibuster needed legislation ad infinitum. In fact, the historical record for filibusters has been broken since the Democrats regained control of the Congress in 2006.

They should make filibusterers actually speak "for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose", not just declare that they will filibuster. If Democracy is to be a spectacle, let's see it. On TV. Or the Web.

For better or worse, China can develop and implement National Policies much better than the U.S. can.

NIMBYs are far worse than the politicians, and it takes only a few whiners to stop projects that can help save the USA. Chinese welcome these developements even if it is nuclear reactors or garbage incenerators.

Politicians are balancing between both extremes, and oftentimes they're stuck and can't or won't do anything.

NIMBYs are far worse than the politicians, and it takes only a few whiners to stop projects that can help save the USA. Chinese welcome these developements even if it is nuclear reactors or garbage incenerators.

Politicians are balancing between both extremes, and oftentimes they're stuck and can't or won't do anything.
Would you accept damage to your backyard to help the US?
Before you say "yes" consider the facts, that the damage is real, and "salvation" maybe not. "Total happiness" may never materialize and certainly will never offset your losses. And there could always be another choice. That is the fuel of NIMBY.

@rvd:

Backyard should not be interpreted literally to be your private property backyard. So rest assured it will not be placed in anyone's backyard unless imminent domain or very high price offer has been put on the table.

Even far off from their yard, the Cape Cod residents don't want the windmills offshore because it would destroy their sight as they board their yacths and set out to sail and see these ugly things. But these are engineering marvels and thing of beauty to other people.

To put in topic and proper context, let me cite the solar arrays of Mojave Desert. Some fanatics sand dune excursionist don't want them there.

And for sure, it is okay with me to have the solar arrays within the neighborhood. In fact a few blocks away our city has 1 MW solar array under trial, and people don't complain about them here.

It is the few fanatical misguided environmentalists and the ritchie bitchies that don't want "eyesores" in their neighborhoods that are the major problems.

I wonder how they built the Interstate Highway System ?
That must have angered lots of NIMBY's.

Or maybe, so soon after WWII, Americans felt more like a "country" then, and not a collection of individuals and families all looking out for #1, and wouldn't tolerate unpatriotic cranks whining about their "view".

And, I believe the highway system was sold as "National Security" - Eisenhower liked the German highways in WWII, he saw how they allowed very fast military movements during a war. Americans are always ready to sacrifice if it has something to do with War.

Congress should sell the new Power Grid and Renewable Energy (wind, solar) as getting ready for war with Iran (or China, or Russia, or Venezuela, whatever).

I wonder how they built the Interstate Highway System ?
That must have angered lots of NIMBY's.

Or maybe, so soon after WWII, Americans felt more like a "country" then, and not a collection of individuals and families all looking out for #1, and wouldn't tolerate unpatriotic cranks whining about their "view".

And, I believe the highway system was sold as "National Security" - Eisenhower liked the German highways in WWII, he saw how they allowed very fast military movements during a war. Americans are always ready to sacrifice if it has something to do with War.

Congress should sell the new Power Grid and Renewable Energy (wind, solar) as getting ready for war with Iran (or China, or Russia, or Venezuela, whatever).





Yes, at this stage of the game humans need war or other serious crisis (depression, oil embargo, 911, etc.) to act as one. It's that grouping mentality - safety in numbers.

Yes, at this stage of the game humans need war or other serious crisis (depression, oil embargo, 911, etc.) to act as one. It's that grouping mentality - safety in numbers.
We are already at war with China - an economic war. They are winning, and we are supplying them with ammunition.

We are already at war with China - an economic war. They are winning, and we are supplying them with ammunition.





Not just China! Additionally, we have a major crisis with peak oil or at least plateau oil (which will keep us from the necessary exponential growth to sustain the current global economic models).

Unfortunately, world leaders, economists and the media either do not see all of this going on around us or they are scared ****less and are trying to sooth the beast in a hope that some solution will just present itself, as if by magic.

There is one very important concept that many people to not grasp. A U.S. corporation does not have to care about America. Its only reason to exist is to increase the wealth of it's shareholders, many of which may not even be Americans. A modern corporation can function internationally as though it's a citizen of the world, using every world resource to it's best advantage.

Here is the scary part that CEOs of American internatinal corporations will not admit. It is to their advantage to see Americans (not them or their shareholders) lose their wealth. They get relatively richer as Americans get poorer. Think about this for a moment. Rent in America get cheaper, labor costs go down, labor unions get weaker, governments get weaker, less regulation, less power, etc. Even if this reality shocks you, you must admit that it fits human nature perfectly.

If the people do not fully utilize their governments to make sure proper regulations are enforced all the while not killing the motivation for business then corporations will walk all over them, like ENRON only not so blatant. The trick for corporations is to do it under the veil of morality, conservatism, constitutional directive, etc.

A great example of this is to see 50,000 Joe red-necks marching in Washington against universal health care. This fascinates me because many of them (or their families or friends) will have a problem in the future with their health insurance company or someday have fear that they will not be able to change jobs because of pre-existing conditions. It almost blows my mind but I understand how human nature works and how powerful the group mentality can be. Isn’t human behavior wonderful? The sheep being happily lead to the slaughterhouse with the promise of another delicious meal. Wake up people!