In the near future, adding solar power to your home could be as easy as applying a coat of paint, instead of installing bulky and expensive solar panels to your roof. University of Notre Dame researchers has figured out a way to create an inexpensive, energy generating “solar paint” This ‘solar paint’ put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light -- electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside.

This latest feat in solar energy came when the scientists found a way to incorporate quantum dots into a spreadable paste. The paste is mixture of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, followed by a coating of either cadmium sulfide or cadmium, along with a water-alcohol suspension. In order to create an energy-producing cell, the paint is spread onto a transparent conductive material, and then make stronger through heating with a heat gun. The painted electrode surface is then jointed to a graphene composite electrode with an electrolyte solution. The resulting material generates energy when exposed to a beam of artificial sunlight. The scientists say, however, that the paint can be cheaply made into large quantities. If the researchers manage to improve its efficiency, every home in the future might be coated with solar power. For more current renewable energy information please visit www.wpdprojects.org.

It is my prayer that Universities and Polytechnics in Ghana will come up with some innovative inventions that will be more beneficial to our society.

Information Source: University of Notre Dame

Phil Darko

World Partners for Development