An employee in the Electricity Distribution Sector at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Engineer Mohammed Al Hashemi, a Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, designed a layer of optical reflectivity capable of raising the efficiency of silicon solar panels by 40%. Hashemi said to «Emirates Today»:
"In the paper presented at the scientific conference of the American University in the UAE, I designed a layer of optical reflectivity applied to the surface of solar cells made of silicon. This layer increases the amount of light (the number of photons) inside the solar cell. The light inside the solar cell increases the amount of electrical energy generated, and can be increased by reducing the optical reflection on the surface of the cell ».
Al-Hashemi explained that the study he conducted was within the space of the solar spectrum from the wavelength 1100 nanometers to 300 nanometers. This is the space of the solar spectrum that the silicon solar cell can absorb from the solar light reaching the planet. "Based on our calculations, By approximately 40% by adding a thin layer of silicon Si3Ni4 with a thickness of 76.5 nanometers or 0.0765 micrometers, which approximates the human hair thickness of 75 micrometers and the added layer of reflectivity decreased from 36.02 to 9.45%.
He noted that he participated in this research, which is part of his MA thesis, at a conference recently organized by the American University in the UAE on sustainability.