What is a solar cell?
What is a solar cell and how does it work? A solar cell is able to absorb the photon energy from the sun and deliver electrical power. Electrical power is …
Course: How to Survive on Earth: Energy Materials for a Sustainable Future
Dye-sensitised solar cells
The video above shows how we can convert solar energy into electrical energy using a dye-sensitised solar cell. Dye-sensitised solar cells Dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC) are a relatively new and …
Types of solar cells
Absorbing the sun Materials and Solar Cells All solar cells contain materials that absorb light resulting in the separation of charges, electrons and holes, that can then be extracted to …
Week 1 summary
The world has thrived on cheap, non-renewable energy materials – coal, oil and gas – but at what cost? Congratulations on completing this week, we have explored the current energy …
Possible solutions
What are the possible solutions? At present, we have an over-reliance on fossil fuels which in turn produce high levels of CO2 in our atmosphere. There is a lack of …
The Terawatt Challenge
A challenge for energy consumption Professor Richard Smalley gave a presentation on December 2, 2004, titled Symposium X—Frontiers of Materials Research. In which he laid out the Terawatt Challenge. To …
The Science Behind Climate Change
“…human-generated carbon dioxide emissions are imposing on the planet an unsustainable burden in terms of temperature increase. And we must address that”. Andrew Holmes (2018) Human Activities Energy production and …
Global problems
Richard Smalley Chemist and Nobel Prize winner 1986 Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Professor Richard Smalley identified what he felt were the top 10 issues facing the world: Energy Water Food Environment …
Meet the team
It’s great to meet you. Let’s meet the team The course you’re about to engage with has been put together with the knowledge and experience of experts in the field. …
Solar fuels versus batteries
We have now seen that we can store energy in either a solar fuel or battery. Which would be a better option for a sustainable future? As Prof. Maria Forsyth …
Solar fuel cells
In the video above, Prof. Maria Forsyth discusses whether storing energy in solar fuels is as good as using batteries. If we could make fuels like H2 from only sunshine …
The challenges
By now, you are aware that no matter what solutions are found, there will be challenges on the path to using any material-based initiative to survive on Earth. In the …
Superconductivity and the Future
There is a lot of speculation about superconductivity and its future as there is a lot we still don’t know about the materials and the phenomena itself. In the research …
The super grid of the future
We’ve talked about using the sun as a source of energy, and how we can store this energy produced in batteries or fuels like hydrogen or ammonia. Even with more …
Superconductivity in the lab
We have learned a fair bit of background information on superconductivity. In this video Dr. Yi Du takes us into the lab and shows us the work that is currently …
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How to Survive on Earth: Energy Materials for a Sustainable Future