How Quantum Dots Solar Panels Could Change Everything

Video script and citations:

Get my achieve energy security with solar guide:

Follow-up podcast:

Join the Undecided Discord server:

👋 Support Undecided on Patreon!

⚙️ Gear & Products I Like

Visit my Energysage Portal (US):
Research solar panels and get quotes for free!

And find heat pump installers near you (US):

Or find community solar near you (US):

For a curated solar buying experience (Canada)
EnergyPal's free personalized quotes:

Tesla Referral Code:
Get 1,000 free supercharging miles
or a discount on Tesla Solar & Powerwalls

👉 Follow Me
Mastodon

X

Mastodon

Instagram

Facebook

Website

📺 YouTube Tools I Recommend
Audio file(s) provided by Epidemic Sound

TubeBuddy

VidIQ

I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

#MakeTheSwitch  #EcoFlow  #EcoFlowDELTAPro3  #SolarGenerator #powerfulyetsimple

[dwaynemcsloy]

Keep the videos and podcasts coming. I throughly enjoy listening and learning.

[GhostFS]

One lab anecdote on quantum dot: we were testing different synthesis condition to produce quantum dot, to obtain higher quantum yield (how much they glow if exposed to light).
One day we obtained and incredibly good result, it was not even necessary to shine the UV lamp on the vials to make it glow, it was glowing intensely even with the ambient light from the lab.
So called my boss very exited to show him the result. It was amazed so as usual tried the UV light how much it glow and... it was horrifying. All the chemical hood, all the glass were, all mi cloths... were glowing. The vapors of the synesis solvent were able to carry around the quantum dot and deposit them everywhere. Not even the chemical hood was enough to protect us... but we were a Startup with not enough money for a glove box :D

[RealBelisariusCawl]

As an amateur microscopy enthusiast I’m fairly well acquainted with the µm scale, so that size comparison was really helpful to understand how small we’re talking.

Same size scale as viruses.

[Meower]

An article I read, some years ago, described solar energy as raining coins from the sky. You get a lot a pennies, fewer nickels, even fewer dimes and even fewer quarters. You can catch ONE of these (a collector has a limited bandgap, only able to collect one band). If you can collect multiple types of coins (multi-junction cells covering different bandgaps), you get more money but it costs more to make / acquire such collectors.

Quantum dots can, essentially, make change on larger coins. So you could collect pennies, maybe nickels, and quantum dots can break dimes and quarters into nickels and pennies (multiple excitons), giving you more of those to collect.

There is some research with agrivoltaics and quantum dots, as sunlight contains spectra which aren't beneficial to plants. Quantum dots can convert those bands to stuff which IS beneficial to plants, such that regular sunlight + quantum dots can produce more light in the beneficial bands.

[AdvantestInc]

Matt, your breakdown of quantum dot technology is top-notch. Loved the optimistic outlook on quantum dots in solar energy.

[faisal-ca]

Even with existing solar tech, many places will have enough electricity for the night if cheaper storage is available. Storage breakthrough will be a game changer.

[mikep]

Thank you for the explanation. I grew up in a world where I could take apart most "high tech" and understand how it worked, even as a kid. When electronics hit the market a few courses brought me up to speed. 45 years later and I've entered a world of black boxes. I can usually make them work but, like a monkey, know just enough to hook them together. Then there are these new technologies that are mind blowing. It's like we've returned to the early 1900's, when the horseless carriage was introduced... but across all fields. But this time, it's all "black boxes" given to us by wizards.

[simonspoke]

Could a semi translucent quantum dot sheet be laid over an existing PV sheet, so you could essentially "upgrade" your existing panels? 🤔

[bschil]

Matt, thank you for all these videos! Please keep them coming! I learn so much from your videos!

[rickhobson]

I love how balanced your reporting is! Thank you for another great episode!

[StraightBar]

Worth to mention that Poland has launched a factory that produces perovskite flexible solar panels, sauletech 😊

[RyuuKageDesu]

It was your earlier solar panel videos that originally brought me to this channel, so I'm always fascinated with new developments.

[scarletevans]

How is it possible that I am not subscribed?
Just first several seconds of the video inspired me! Amazing content, can't wait to watch more videos!

[johngraven]

Also, quantum dots offer a really important aspect of band Gap harvesting within the 615 nanometer range, for example, in red, or conversely in the UV range and changing it to a more beneficial color whether it be from harvesting off of a surface that is reflecting it back and then turning it into electricity. Very similar to your AeroGel comments on glass. Very interesting show, really appreciate your work

[docjaramillo]

I remember reading about Quantum Dots developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory… for some reason I remember they could also be applied to existing windows, like applying a film…?

[LazzyNinja]

Very interesting video as Always, great job and thanks for keeping us updated on the tech breakthrough Matt !

[waynegosson]

I love these channels. Content creators like Matt are not getting enough recognItion. Keep up the excellent work !

[jimparrUtube]

Heat, and therefore cooling has always been a (until now manageable) problem with solar panels.
I have often 'idly' wondered if two solar energy collection methods would be beneficial...

Viz:
* Devise a means to run 'clean' water across the top of a solar panel without blocking most of the visible spectrum. I would try thin membrane of IR transparent glass or acrylic for the cover and water ingress/egress. If always inclined to some degree, this can be a low-energy pumping arrangement when ingress from the top and warmer water collected from the bottom.

* With a simple, parallel side-by-side arrangement in a row of panels for water injection and collection, and suitable use (heat-pump-tech?) of the warmer water at a collection point, panels can be kept efficient in the solar sense while also using the thermal differential to employ in a variety of energy harvesting options and the now cooled water can be circulated back into the solar arrays. Lagged piping may be necessary.

* In regions where snow is a problem - trashing electrical output from arrays laden with snow, it should be practical to reverse the process in order to prevent the accumulation of snow atop the solar arrays.

* 50 years ago one of my cousins devised a truly brilliant DIY way of warming his young daughter's paddling pool in their back yard... Garden hose affixed along the roof apex with a small hole every inch or so and plugged at the end (corrugated iron roof). Water from the pool was fed to the hose via a small pump and he had a simple diversion from the gutter down-pipe to feed back into the pool. This would even work pretty good on a dull winter's day. Debbie LOVED that little pool.

[Meditations]

We already use Quantum filters in TVs. The technology is already here.

With both multi junction and quantum dots, the theoretical efficiency jumps to slightly over 80%.

This obviously drastically reduces the area required to produce the same wattage and leaps solar far past wind in efficiency per area covered, even in northern latitudes.

[hampyonce]

I have limited anecdotal experience with Microdots.