Nanotechnology 'will boost photovoltaics'

Nanotechnology will help make solar photovoltaic technology far more efficient, according to a futurist and author of The Age of Intelligent Machines.

Speaking to Silicon.com, Ray Kurzweil said that nanotechnology was essential to solving the planets energy crisis and would help solar power become cheaper than fossil fuel power in five years time.

"We're applying nanotechnology to solar panels and coming up with a new generation of solar panels that are much more efficient," he said.

He predicted that the pay back period on photovoltaic panels would decrease as their price relative to that of fossil fuels decreased.

"The crossover of the tipping point where solar energy will be less expensive than fossil fuels in almost every situation is within five years," Mr Kurzweil added.

Meanwhile, scientists at the Future Chips Constellation at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have devised a coating made from layers up to 100 nanometres thick that boost the efficiency of photovoltaic panels.

They reduce the reflectivity of the panels, meaning they absorb 96.21 of the sun's energy instead of just two thirds as they did before.

The discovery will also give consumers greater flexibility over where to place a photovoltaic solar panel.