During his PhD studies at Cambridge University in England, Dr. Niraj Lal noticed that while miniature versions of Buddhist singing bowls resonate with sound, the instrument does the same with light.

Applying his findings to solar cells, Lal decided to alter the shape of the singing bowls to allow them to catch more light and convert it into electricity.

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"Current standard solar panels lose a large amount of light-energy as it hits the surface, making the panels' generation of electricity inefficient," says Niraj, who now works at the Australian National University.

"But if the cells are singing bowl-shaped, then the light bounces around inside the cell for longer".

Buddhist singing bowls, which are commonly used in music, relaxation and meditation, generate a harmonic ringing tone when the metal bowl's rim is vibrated with utensils such as a wooden pestle.

Niraj was able to quadruple the solar cells' efficiency in a laboratory in his PhD studies by using "nanobowls" to manipulate the light it receives and create a "plasmonic resonance."

He used a flat solar cell as a control in the experiment to see if the new design was actually more efficient.

Presently, Niraj and his colleagues are attempting to put the design to use with tandem solar cells, which is a technology that's only been used in aerospace missions.

The team of researchers will argue in a paper to be published in November that by layering two different kinds of solar panels on top of another in tandem, an efficiency of 30 percent could be attained by flat rooftop solar panels.

In comparison, available commercial models are able to convert 20 percent of light into electricity, while lab silicon solar panels can achieve 25 percent energy conversion.

The abundant light from the sun can now be absorbed more efficiently with the tandem cell scheme as the different materials in each cell lets them catch light at different wavelengths.

TagsEnergy, renewable energy, solar energy, solar panels, solar power, Electricity, electricity use