TRIVANDRUM , February25 2012: Researchers from Amrita University have developed the world’s first integrated solar storage tile using super capacitor.The product called Amrita Smart that would help in tapping solar energy, one of the most plentiful forms of energy available on earth most efficiently and cost-effectively, was unveiled at an international conference on Nanotechnology, Nanosolar 2012, held at Kerala’s commercial hub of Cochin on Friday. Developed by a team of 40 researchers headed by Amrita University Dean-Research Dr Shanti Nair and Dr Vinod Gopal, Amrita Smart is a combination device of a solar cell and a battery that can be used to power devices even at night. The patented concept uses special electronics to integrate the solar cell with the storage device. The products are capable of charging a laptop or a mobile phone and which can be extended for building integrated solar storage and could meet the energy needs of a home without the need for expensive battery systems. These solar modules, when exposed to sun for four hours, can later charge the laptops and mobile phones in two hours and can have seven days storage capacity. The product would weigh 200 grammes and is expected to be marketed in one to two years. While talking to the media Dr Shanti Nair said that energy generation and storage must go hand in hand. The development of the solar storage tile is a milestone in Nanosolar aided research and in the field of renewable energy sector. He said that the development may help the country in solving the energy problem to a great extent. The current solar cells using silicon cells have only 16 per cent efficiency and they are expensive. As such, they are not yet competitive with the currently used exhaustible fossil fuels. Nano solar, on the other hand is more efficient and cheaper, Dr Shanti Nair said. Its efficiency is increased by creating highly conductive films. The nano solar uses new nano materials like graphene and carbon nano tubes that have a very high energy density and power density. Shanti Nair said that the nano solar would also be a cheaper by one third. He said that the product could change the way people live today.
