Scientists discover tiny solar panels that create themselves

Are u sure for that?

Originally posted by Bicnarok
The "car wheel" comparison is pathetic, has nothing to do whatsoever with this discovery in any way.

Tell that to Sym. I think it's a useless comparison, myself.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
It IS a part of the puzzle, gives a good reason to advance research into carbon nano-tubes or other methods of harnessing the energy.

As I've indicated, already, there are far better reasons to advance carbon nano-tube technology than "tiny solar panels." We already have nano-photovoltaic cells that have a solar energy collection efficiency of over 80% (the golden barrier)...we just don't have a way to functionally collect the freed electrons. THAT discovery is far superior to this one, yet, it's every bit as useless.

Guess what one solution to that discovery is: improving carbon nano-tube technology. 313

Originally posted by Bicnarok
If everyone took your approach we´ve still be running around with clubs, wearing tarzan like shorts and worshiping fire and the sun.

No, if everyone followed my approach, technologies will get developed much more quickly. Where's your'e scientific approach? Where's your HEALTHY scientific skeptcism?

If you were the lead professor of this research project, one of the first things you would and should say about the discovery is: "This is functionally useless, at the moment, but we are hopeful that future developments in carbon nano-tube manufacturing makes this possible."

NOT

ZOMG! DIS IS SO EXCITING! THIS IS A BREAKTHROUGH!

Emerging technology analysis: "Is this useful. If useful, is it practical. If practical, is it affordable. If affordable, is there a learning curve. If a steep learning curve, are there qualified individuals that can be hired to implement and train on this technology." And so forth.

If can't get past the first, there is no need to go to the second.

If they were able to collect electricity in a useable form, but with very very expensive technologies, then I would be quite chipper about this discovery. Since we can't even do that, this is useless for the foreseeable future.

Don't you get tired of reading about useless discoveries? Doesn't it wear on you?

Originally posted by Omega Vision
I don't see how it's "useless" just because it's impractical at the moment. There's no such thing as useless knowledge.

You didn't really address anything I've stated, just stated what I've stated in other words.

"impractical at the moment" vs. "useless for the foreseeable future." 😬

I also clearly indicated that this discovery becomes useful once we have a carbon nano-tube fabrication breakthrough.

Originally posted by dadudemon

You didn't really address anything I've stated, just stated what I've stated in other words.

"impractical at the moment" vs. "useless for the foreseeable future." 😬

I also clearly indicated that this discovery becomes useful once we have a carbon nano-tube fabrication breakthrough.

You also don't know what might come of this little discovery, perhaps from this scientists might discover something of use outside of the field of photovoltaics.

To me it just seems like you're being needlessly dismissive of the discovery, almost as if it's a personal matter.

You'd think DDM was an albino, with how bigoted he is towards the Sun.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
If you're looking for immediate gratification then a lot of current "breakthroughs" are useless.

And a lot aren't.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
But if you look at it from a long term perspective it isn't useless at all. It's knowledge, it's useful to someone even if it isn't useful to you or I.

O rly? So you've solved the chaining problem with Nano-tubes? If you have, then, yes, from a future perspective, it's useful...but not really.

It pales compared nano-cell technology will be used for a far more efficient photovoltaic cell: the one I referenced earlier. That technology is already developed to the point that it's cheap and absurdly efficient and can be sprayed on "plates". The only problem: we need nano-tubes to collect the freed electrons. So we already have a cheap highly efficient solar technology developed that needs the use of long nano-tubes. Guess which one will get the green light when we have a cheap frab process for nano-tubes?

Originally posted by Omega Vision
You also don't know what might come of this little discovery, perhaps from this scientists might discover something of use outside of the field of photovoltaics.

Well, in that case, let me get my check book out so I can start funding their research. 😬

Originally posted by Omega Vision
To me it just seems like you're being needlessly dismissive of the discovery, almost as if it's a personal matter.

Nah, everyone made it personal when they were dismissive of my injection of reality into the discussion. They took it personal for some reason and saw the need to needlessly defend this currently useless research.

Originally posted by Robtard
You'd think DDM was an albino, with how bigoted he is towards the Sun.

Nah. I love solar technologies. I am usually the one talking about them in energy related threads. I just don't like it when people (not necessarily people from KMC) hype up a very useless "discovery".

No discovery is useless. Knowledge itself is a worthy pursuit.

Originally posted by King Kandy
No discovery is useless. Knowledge itself is a worthy pursuit.

I do like to think that in concept, but I could imagine a sort of Lovecraftian "Forbidden Knowledge" that may not be worthy to know, for one reason or another.

OK, but this is probably not one of those cases. And even then it wouldn't be "useless" knowledge.

Considering the demand to find sustainable alternative fuel sources will only increase as time goes by, this has a high chance of being of use sometime in the future. DDM's just being an ass.

Wait to see how much a barrel of oil cost in once China finishes building its roadway/highway structure they've dumped a gigibillion yuan into.

Originally posted by King Kandy
OK, but this is probably not one of those cases.

It seems quite reasonable to assume that, yes.

Originally posted by dadudemon
And a lot aren't.

O rly? So you've solved the chaining problem with Nano-tubes? If you have, then, yes, from a future perspective, it's useful...but not really.

It pales compared nano-cell technology will be used for a far more efficient photovoltaic cell: the one I referenced earlier. That technology is already developed to the point that it's cheap and absurdly efficient and can be sprayed on "plates". The only problem: we need nano-tubes to collect the freed electrons. So we already have a cheap highly efficient solar technology developed that needs the use of long nano-tubes. Guess which one will get the green light when we have a cheap frab process for nano-tubes?

Well, in that case, let me get my check book out so I can start funding their research. 😬

Nah, everyone made it personal when they were dismissive of my injection of reality into the discussion. They took it personal for some reason and saw the need to needlessly defend this currently useless research.

Nah. I love solar technologies. I am usually the one talking about them in energy related threads. I just don't like it when people (not necessarily people from KMC) hype up a very useless "discovery".

Google "carbon nanotubes"

Originally posted by Omega Vision
I'm getting the impression that the only discovery you'll think anything of is carbon-nanotubes.

Despite me referencing an awesome breakthrough in solar technologies?

Also, robtard, I do not believe that this discovery is currently useful.

Reality, though, dictates that a technology like this is far less likely to succeed when compared to the other nano-cell technology I mentioned. That technology has a very consistent and measurable efficiency.

This technology COULD lead to ideas about self-repairing photovoltaic cells or cells that could be repaired by nano-bots. However, that's an idea that already exists and many people have thought of it already. But, that doesn't mean some kid can be inspired by this discovery to one day create a fully functional, self-repairing, highly efficient, photovoltaic cell...but let's not put the cart before the horse: this technology really has no future. There's just too many other technologies better than this, out there, that could be useful if we could "bus" the freed electrons. Think of how many people are working on batteries, right now.

Originally posted by dadudemon
D Think of how many people are working on batteries, right now.

At least 4...And one of them is called Dave...

Originally posted by dadudemon
Despite me referencing an awesome breakthrough in solar technologies?

Also, robtard, I do not believe that this discovery is currently useful.

Reality, though, dictates that a technology like this is far less likely to succeed when compared to the other nano-cell technology I mentioned. That technology has a very consistent and measurable efficiency.

This technology COULD lead to ideas about self-repairing photovoltaic cells or cells that could be repaired by nano-bots. However, that's an idea that already exists and many people have thought of it already. But, that doesn't mean some kid can be inspired by this discovery to one day create a fully functional, self-repairing, highly efficient, photovoltaic cell...but let's not put the cart before the horse: this technology really has no future. There's just too many other technologies better than this, out there, that could be useful if we could "bus" the freed electrons. Think of how many people are working on batteries, right now.

Originally posted by King Kandy
This technology is just invented and there is no data at all on it's efficiency... so how you got the notion that other technologies will be more efficient is beyond me, especially since the functions of the two are not mutually exclusive.

Nah, I ain't buying that bullshit.

Because if efficiency were anything remarkable, that would be something "bragged" about, all over anyone talking about it.

It's most likely unremarkable. Keep in mind that for photovoltaic researchers, 80% efficiency is the magic barrier: any discovery that broke that barrier would automatically become a HUGE breakthrough.

And, yes, if the technology captures very little sunlight, it is going to be thrown out as a useless photovoltaic technology. Since there is already a technology that is ready for manufacturing (it's a sprayed on, lol!), but just requires nano-tube "wires" to bus out the electrons.

BTW, both technologies I've talked about are currently useless and may remain useless unless we build tiny robots that can put together nano-tubes for us. Guess what those tiny robots' computers could be made out of ? Memristors. awesome

Time to pop the champagne!!!

Originally posted by dadudemon
Nah, I ain't buying that bullshit.

Because if efficiency were anything remarkable, that would be something "bragged" about, all over anyone talking about it.

It's most likely unremarkable. Keep in mind that for photovoltaic researchers, 80% efficiency is the magic barrier: any discovery that broke that barrier would automatically become a HUGE breakthrough.

But they weren't trying to make a more efficient solar cell . . .

Originally posted by dadudemon
BTW, both technologies I've talked about are currently useless and may remain useless unless we build tiny robots that can put together nano-tubes for us. Guess what those tiny robots' computers could be made out of ? Memristors. awesome

"Okay, you heard the man. All technological process will now cease in favor of developing memristors. Yes that cancer stuff is interesting but little robots could do it better so your discoveries are useless. Yeah, yeah you're a "biologist". That's a kind of science isn't it? Get working on those memristors."

Originally posted by dadudemon
Nah, I ain't buying that bullshit.

Because if efficiency were anything remarkable, that would be something "bragged" about, all over anyone talking about it.

It's most likely unremarkable. Keep in mind that for photovoltaic researchers, 80% efficiency is the magic barrier: any discovery that broke that barrier would automatically become a HUGE breakthrough.

And, yes, if the technology captures very little sunlight, it is going to be thrown out as a useless photovoltaic technology. Since there is already a technology that is ready for manufacturing (it's a sprayed on, lol!), but just requires nano-tube "wires" to bus out the electrons.

BTW, both technologies I've talked about are currently useless and may remain useless unless we build tiny robots that can put together nano-tubes for us. Guess what those tiny robots' computers could be made out of ? Memristors. awesome

Originally posted by King Kandy
If the efficiency were anything remarkable... it WOULDN'T be, because this is the first example of said technology that wasn't being researched because of suspected efficiency. That's like telling someone back in 1910 "This 'internal combustion engine' thing doesn't seem very efficient. You should just work on electric cars instead, they are better." It was true at the time, but gas cars very quickly exceeded them in efficiency once they were starting to improve.

And how exactly how are they going to improve the solar efficiency of the collectors?

You do know that the only thing they could do to improve the collectors efficiency is arranging them into hexagonal structures, right?

That's it.

Other than that, they are stuck with what they have. They would literally have to change the material and, by doing that, change the chemical properties. Basically, the would have to re-invent their work completely and only keep the carbon-nano tubes as fun little attachments.