Solar panels are reaching their limit. These crystals could change that. Tom Metcalfe © Provided by NBC News
When the Biden administration announced in late March a $128 million initiative to improve the costs of solar power, a significant chunk of the money went to research into materials named after an obscure 19th century Russian geologist and nobleman: Lev Perovski.
Among the projects listed: $40 million for research and development into so-called perovskite materials that scientists are using to push the limits of just how efficient and adaptable solar cells can be.
And while perovskites aren t anything new they were first found in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1839, and they are relatively common their more recent applications in solar power technology has sparked hope that humans will use them to better harness the thousands of megawatts of energy from the sun that falls on Earth every hour.
Can this mineral with an obscure backstory revolutionize solar power?
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Solar panels are reaching their limit These crystals could change that
msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.