Solar Cells that can absorb energy from bulbs/Tubelights

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of using solar cells, specifically Polymer-fullerene solar cells, to recharge mobile phone batteries using indoor lighting. Participants explore the potential of various photovoltaic technologies and the challenges associated with energy harvesting in low-light conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests using Polymer-fullerene solar cells for indoor energy harvesting but expresses uncertainty about implementation due to their nano-technology nature.
  • Another participant notes that most photovoltaic cells can generate some current from indoor lighting, referencing solar-powered calculators as an example, but doubts the feasibility of recharging batteries with such cells.
  • A third participant discusses ongoing efforts to harvest various forms of energy, highlighting the challenge of generating sufficient power for practical use, such as making emergency phone calls.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the practicality of the idea, suggesting that if it were feasible, it would likely have already been developed, and encourages further investigation into the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the practicality of using solar cells for indoor energy harvesting, with some expressing optimism about the potential while others highlight significant challenges and skepticism regarding current technology.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects uncertainties regarding the efficiency of energy harvesting from indoor lighting and the limitations of current photovoltaic technologies in practical applications.

salman91
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Hi,

I am sorry if this is in the wrong place.

I had an idea of using Polymer-fullerene solar cells (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konarka_Technologies#Polymer-fullerene_solar_cells) in Mobile phones to recharge its battery using Indoor lights.
But , unfortunately, these cells are of NANO-technology. so i don't know how to implement it.

So, is there any other such cells that absorb energy from indoor lights?

Waiting for replies.

Regards.
 
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salman91 said:
Hi,

I am sorry if this is in the wrong place.

I had an idea of using Polymer-fullerene solar cells (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konarka_Technologies#Polymer-fullerene_solar_cells) in Mobile phones to recharge its battery using Indoor lights.
But , unfortunately, these cells are of NANO-technology. so i don't know how to implement it.

So, is there any other such cells that absorb energy from indoor lights?

Waiting for replies.

Regards.

Pretty much any type of photovoltaic cell will give you a little current out with indoor lighting. That's how "solar powered" calculators work:

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1T...ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

There is usually enough power available from indoor lighting to power these LCD/CMOS calculators, but I doubt there is enough (with any reasonably-sized cells) to re-charge batteries...
 
There are a lot of efforts to "harvest" energy - electromagnetic energy (both visible light all the way through RF frequencies) and mechanical energy (from vibrations).

The aim is usually to harvest enough energy in one day while being off to make a 5-minute emergency phone call. This is a huge feat - which tells you a little bit about how much power is consumed by a device relative to how much one can harvest.
 
I think if current technology could do this practically, it would have been done already. Its sad, but think of the most obscure applications or great ideas you can think of, and then search it in google and you will see someone else almost always already came up with the idea before you did. If it interests you, its worth investigating, but the fact that something obvious isn't already being done can give you an idea of how practical it is.
 

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