양자 요동을 활용하면 더 효율적인 태양광 패널을 만들 수 있을까?

If scientists are correct, the world may be on the verge of a climate crisis.  With that being the case, something must be done sooner rather than later to address the issue.  For many, the low-hanging fruit to battling climate change remains a transition away from our reliance on fossil fuels as a source of energy towards more sustainable options like hydro, wind, geothermal, and solar.  However, for this to truly occur, a concerted effort must be made to advance the technology behind these alternatives.  Thankfully, researchers are hard at work already, with multiple recent studies pointing to a bright future for photovoltaic cells, which make solar energy harvesting possible.

보우타이 레조네이터

One of these aforementioned studies has successfully outlined a future in which, through reliance on quantum fluctuations, ‘bowtie resonators’ can potentially self-manufacture.

Bowtie resonators are a type of structure set to be used within next-gen photovoltaic cells, built with the goal of trapping light within an enclosed void.  The purpose of this is to maximize the contact time between the trapped light and whatever medium is being used to transfer/capture energy.  Interestingly, bowtie resonators are named as such due to their shape resembling that of a bowtie.

Typically, in the absence of leakage, the smaller the resonator, the more effective it is at trapping light – leading to higher efficiency and energy capture.  Unfortunately, we have reached a point in time where traditional manufacturing techniques have almost been maximized.  This is where the study comes in, which looked to leverage quantum fluctuations that result in the fundamental forces known as the,

• 카시미르 효과
• 반데르발스 힘

The purpose of this was to essentially guide the self-manufacturing of a resonator far smaller than is currently possible at scale.  The result was a significant and successful advancement in semiconductor device manufacturing, as the team was able to leverage the Casimir-van der Waals forces for ‘deterministic self-assembly’ of suspended silicon nanostructures and the successful creation of a nanoscopic resonator void.
Simply put – rather than attempting to build a resonator at such a small scale, the team built two halves and relied on quantum fluctuations to ‘fuse’ them together when placed in extremely close proximity to one another.  The paper indicates that “By contrast, planar semiconductor technology has had an immense technological impact, owing to its inherent scalability, yet it seems unable to reach the atomic dimensions enabled by self-assembly.”

이것이 의미하는 바는

The implications of this technology are far-reaching, with potential applications across various fields. The paper elaborates on this, stating the following.

우리의 연구는 몇 나노미터 이하의 구속을 가진 광공명 공동의 자기 조립을 보여주지만, 우리의 방법은 고체 상태 나노포어 시퀀싱, 나노갭 양자 터널링 전극, 혹은 초고품질 섀도우 마스크와 같은 초전도 양자 전자 장치 등에 적용될 수 있는 훨씬 더 넓은 연구 및 기술 분야에 활용될 수 있습니다.

보다 일반적으로, 우리의 연구는 원자 규모에서 광학, 전자공학 및 역학의 새로운 영역을 탐구할 수 있는 전망을 열어주며, 동시에 대규모 칩 구조와의 확장 가능하고 자체 정렬된 통합을 가능하게 합니다.

The self-assembled waveguide-coupled cavity is particularly interesting with regard to enhanced light-matter interaction, potentially enabling the operation of devices at single-photon levels and facilitating new levels of efficiency not yet seen in photovoltaic cells.

백컨택트 태양광 전지

Notably, this is not the only potentially game-changing advancement in recent weeks surrounding photovoltaic cells.  Researchers at the University of Ottawa (U of O) successfully manufactured the “…first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic cells’.

Essentially, this is a novel manufacturing technique that greatly reduces the ‘shadowing effect’ in a photovoltaic cell by repositioning electrical contacts onto its backside.  This means that the energy-gathering medium utilized is able to boast more surface area, which captured light can interact with.  This approach also allows for significant miniaturization of the cells.  All of which means greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

대체 응용 분야

Interestingly, these discussed breakthroughs are important for more than just harnessing solar energy.  They may also potentially point to a path forward for nanotechnology at large by demonstrating the feasibility of leveraging quantum fluctuations and fundamental forces like the Casimir effect and Van der Waals forces.

Directed self-manufacturing materials would open a new realm of possibilities in material science that would profoundly affect almost every industry.  This means lighter and stronger building materials, miniaturized electronics, more effective medicines, targeted drug deliveries, and more.

The bottom line is that nanotechnology may one day fundamentally transform these industries, making it a particularly captivating and promising area of scientific and technological exploration.  However, it is important to recognize that a directed, self-manufactured bowtie resonator is just one step out of a marathon.

산업 플레이어

While it may be some years before we see self-assembling bowtie resonators and back-contact cells used in real-world applications, these are the types of innovative advancements that will be needed if we expect to avoid, or at least mitigate, the potential climate crisis we are already facing.  With that in mind, the following are a few publicly traded companies heavily involved in the growth of the solar industry and the technology that makes it possible.

*아래 제공된 수치는 작성 시점에 정확했으며 변동될 수 있습니다. 잠재적인 투자자는 지표를 확인해야 합니다*

1. NextEra Energy Resources

NEE 가격 차트

시가총액	P/E 비율	주당순이익 (EPS)
122,187,607,978	15.76	$3.78

NextEra Energy (NEE ) Resources is North America’s top clean energy company, leading in wind and solar energy production.  It develops, constructs, and operates electric power projects, including more than 150 wind and solar universal energy centers across 26 states in the U.S. and four provinces in Canada, generating over 17,000 megawatts of wind and solar energy

2.  First Solar

FSLR 가격 차트

시가총액	P/E 비율	주당순이익 (EPS)
14,829,442,405	31.27	$4.42

First Solar (FSLR ) designs and manufactures solar power systems and solar modules using thin-film semiconductor technology.  It also provides supporting services such as finance, construction, maintenance, and end-of-life panel recycling

3. SolarEdge Technologies

SEDG 가격 차트

시가총액	P/E 비율	주당순이익 (EPS)
4,181,874,567	19.79	$3.66

SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG ) is a global leader in smart energy technology. It offers solutions for photovoltaics, storage, electric vehicle charging, batteries, uninterruptible power supply, and grid services.  The company is known for its SolarEdge DC-optimized inverter solution, which maximizes power generation while reducing the cost of energy produced by photovoltaic systems

최종 생각

The advancements in photovoltaic technology, particularly the development of self-assembling bowtie resonators and back-contact photovoltaic cells, mark a significant stride in addressing the urgent challenges of climate change.  These innovations represent more than scientific progress; they are critical steps toward realizing a sustainable energy future.

As these technologies move closer to widespread adoption, they hold the promise of making solar power more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible, thereby accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.  This progress in solar technology not only aligns with environmental goals but also underscores the potential of renewable energy to become a dominant, practical energy source in the near future.