Submission + - SPAM: Solar nanoantenna energy collectors
Roland Piquepaille writes: "U.S. researchers have developed a cheap way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect solar energy. As said one Idaho National Laboratory (INL) scientist, 'these antennas are good at capturing energy, but they're not very good at converting it.' In fact, the team estimates these individual nanoantennas can absorb close to 80% of the available energy from the sun. So these sheets of 'nantennas,' as the team calls them, might first be used as cooling devices that draw waste heat from buildings or electronics without using electricity. According to the research team, nanoantennas have the potential to be a more efficient alternative to solar cells and we might be only a few years away of the next generation of solar energy collectors. But read this overview for many additional details, references and pictures about these 'nantennas.'"
