Phosolar

What is Phosolar?

• Phosolar is a new term for Phosphorescent Solar Energy and the technology surrounding it.¹ Phosphorescent Solar Energy is electrical energy derived from a phosphorescent substance placed in sunlight. The electrons of the substance absorb photons of light energy from the sun. The electrons become excited by the photons and leap into a higher orbit around the nucleus of the atom.² Because they are so far out of their usual orbit, and because they hover for so long in that high orbit, they can, in theory, be harvested as an electrical current.
• The hovering electrons can also be used as a store of electrical energy - this aspect is being developed through research into methods of keeping the electrons in their high orbit by varying external factors (eg temperature).
• Due to the fact that phosphorescent material such as Molybdenum is sensitive to the full spectrum of sunlight, it converts light into electricity at 100% efficiency. This means that multi-layered solar cells become unnecessary.

Thus phosolar offers three technological possibilities:

• Generating electrons by using more light-sensitive substances than the traditional Silicon cells and the newer Ruthenium dye-sensitized solar cells;
• Harvesting the electrons by siphoning them off;
• Storing the electrons in high orbit, thus creating a de facto battery.

What is phosphorescence and how is it different from flourescence?

• Phosphorescence and fluorescence both involve the absorption of photons of light by electrons. In the case of fluorescence the electrons, which have jumped to a higher orbit, re-emit that photon of light immediately after reaching orbit, thus allowing the electron to descend to its former orbit. Phosphorescence, however, involves electrons jumping to higher orbits and being unable to descend to their former orbit immediately due to lack of opportunity. They thus retain their photon until they find an opportunity to descend, at which time they release the photon of light and then drop back down to their former position. The emission of light therefore occurs over an extended period of time, the length of time depends firstly on the substance and then on the environmental factors.

Examples of substances that phosphoresce:

• Molybdenum:
  • Qualities of Molybdenum (Mo): a transition element (number 42); silvery white metal; has a high melting point and is used as a high-temperature lubricant; combined as an alloy with other metals to increase strength and hardness; has high electrical conductivity; resists corrosion; used as a pigment; found in organisms as an enzyme, especially those involved in nitrogen fixation; as a trace element in soil it improves cauliflower growth.
• Strontium Aluminate (doped with Europium)
• Zinc Sulphide

For how long do substances phosphoresce?

• Some phosphorescent substances incorporated into manufactured items can now phosphoresce in darkness for 10 hours after being placed in sunlight. This means that phosphorescent solar energy can be available for nearly an entire day. By using the technology of harvesting in combination with the technology of storage Phosolar approaches a round-the-clock phenomenon and this potentially puts it into the same competitive field as coal-fired power stations. However, the technology of phosphescent solar energy has yet to be built and tested.

What is the efficiency of phosolar?

• Recent reports from the laboratory indicate that molybdenum organic compounds produce clouds of electrons that remain in orbit for considerable time.³ It may be possible to convert sunlight into electricity at a rate of about 100%. This suggests that phosolar panels would produce about 1 kW per square metre of solar panel.

News from the Laboratory

• Scientists at Leuven in Belgium have demonstrated a 40% increase in photocurrent from an experimental photo-cell. To a fluorescent donor layer they added a phosphorescent dopant made from "platinum octaethylporphyrin".⁴ Porphyrins are a group of naturally occurring pigmented photosensitisers containing a metal atom in the core of the molecule that play an important part in various biological processes. They can be excited by selective wavelengths of light to initiate photodynamic activity. In this case the metal atom is the phosphorescent metal platinum. This is a case of using the phosphorescent molecule in a secondary role rather than as a primary one: the sunlight excites both donor layer and the platinum layer; the latter layer becomes a secondary light source re-exciting the donor layer.

Footnotes:

Natural substances for health:

Natural-energy technology for living: