How Quantum Dots Solar Panels Could Change Everything

[@UndecidedMF]

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[@PetraKann]

An LED is a reverse Photovoltaic cell. Shine a light source on an LED and attach a voltmeter to the terminals of the LED

[@caojidan8913]

wait until you learn zero point energy

[@PetraKann]

@@caojidan8913 Zero Point energy has been known since Planck introduced it over a century ago. It was Casimir who actually measured the zero-point field strength using two parallel plates in about 1948. So when the temperature of a physical system is dropped down to the theoretical limit of absolute Zero (ie 0 Kelvin) the kinetic energy of the particles is zero because motion has ceased. The energy of the system is not zero however due to the zero-point energy. Nature is continually spewing out surprises and the odd peculiarity.

[@kaibrunnenG]

How the heck does China clean their enormous solar panels? Doesn't a thin layer of dust build up over time make the panels less effective and if so by how much? They are like over building stuff but the enormous amount of resources it will need to maintain it same as their enormous railroads.

[@mikoajk3785]

POLISH SCIENTISTS/COMPANY GOT THEIR PEROVSKITES TECHNOLOGY VALIDATED :D FIRST IN THE WORLD IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN

[@GhostFS]

One lab anecdote on quantum dot: we were testing different synthesis condition to produce quantum dot, to obtain higher quantum yield (how much they glow if exposed to light). One day we obtained and incredibly good result, it was not even necessary to shine the UV lamp on the vials to make it glow, it was glowing intensely even with the ambient light from the lab. So called my boss very exited to show him the result. It was amazed so as usual tried the UV light how much it glow and... it was horrifying. All the chemical hood, all the glass were, all mi cloths... were glowing. The vapors of the synesis solvent were able to carry around the quantum dot and deposit them everywhere. Not even the chemical hood was enough to protect us... but we were a Startup with not enough money for a glove box :D

[@danilooliveira6580]

That is no doubt terrifying, damn. We are usually expected to trust that the hoods are unbeatable, but this almost sounds like the start of an horror story.

[@GhostFS]

​@@danilooliveira6580 a basic chemical hood it protect you from most part of the volatile elements evaporating from you chemical solutions. So perfectly adequate for most chemical lab operation with substance that are dangerous only at a certain concentration in air. But it's not a total barrier. So do not used for bacteriological danger (COVID or zombie virus :D) or in this case, nano compound. I worked in other labs in my PhD and after there we had chemical hood with an additional air blade protection. But also operated sometime with complete coverage and mask, in a room with abundant air purification system (and a sealed purification pre-chamber to enter the lab), in addition to the chemical hood. Or with Glovebox. There substance were in a completely isolated and sealed environment (and also in inert atmosphere). But in that case... it was not only to protect us from the substance but the other way around. To not contaminate sample and devices we were producing. A clean room for nanolithography. Quite nice experience.

[@KeithOlson]

That... sounds like something you cribbed from the opening scene of a disaster/horror movie, to be honest. :grin:

[@justahobbiest]

And Then, the transferable strain of COVID walked outside of the cheap lab simply trying to better understand the new strain of SARS they discovered..

[@Selieca]

So you are saying that you got more output energy that you put in input energy? So... perpetual motion machine? I have doubts about your story. Published Paper or it didn't happen.

[@Meower68]

An article I read, some years ago, described solar energy as raining coins from the sky. You get a lot a pennies, fewer nickels, even fewer dimes and even fewer quarters. You can catch ONE of these (a collector has a limited bandgap, only able to collect one band). If you can collect multiple types of coins (multi-junction cells covering different bandgaps), you get more money but it costs more to make / acquire such collectors. Quantum dots can, essentially, make change on larger coins. So you could collect pennies, maybe nickels, and quantum dots can break dimes and quarters into nickels and pennies (multiple excitons), giving you more of those to collect. There is some research with agrivoltaics and quantum dots, as sunlight contains spectra which aren't beneficial to plants. Quantum dots can convert those bands to stuff which IS beneficial to plants, such that regular sunlight + quantum dots can produce more light in the beneficial bands.

[@RealBelisariusCawl]

As an amateur microscopy enthusiast I’m fairly well acquainted with the µm scale, so that size comparison was really helpful to understand how small we’re talking. Same size scale as viruses.

[@RealBelisariusCawl]

@UndecidedMF-rts Go. Away. Scammer.

[@animehair05silently88]

Maybe we could use viruses to make a new type of quantum dot, made up of the viruses (like engineer a bacteriophage to produce structures of exactly the right shape and size)

[@faisal-ca]

Even with existing solar tech, many places will have enough electricity for the night if cheaper storage is available. Storage breakthrough will be a game changer.

[@dertythegrower]

it already is.. elon proved it many moons ago

[@faisal-ca]

@@dertythegrower We are still using old tech in batteries. Size and Price needs to come down before widespread adoption happens.

[@JohnDir-xw3hf]

​@@dertythegrower They are not eco-friendly.

[@JBoy340a]

Agree that storage is key. We have batteries and we never buy power from the grid when the rates are high (M-F 3PM-9PM). Instead, we sell power back to the grid at a high rate. This generate/store/sell cycle has largely eliminated our annual electric bill. We also earned about $200 in a check from the power company. In addition, the batteries provide backup in case the grid drops.

[@AllanSustainabilityFan]

@@JohnDir-xw3hf Compared to what? Oil gas and coal? Batteries are miles better than those, despite intense oil industry propaganda trying to confuse the public on this. Compared to nothing? Sure, manufacturing something has a footprint. The point is how far we can go with that footprint, and batteries are miles better than status quo when all is considered. Batteries in cars, for example, can go a million miles per pack without spewing toxic gasses around our streets and into our lungs, same with storage.

[@simonspoke]

Could a semi translucent quantum dot sheet be laid over an existing PV sheet, so you could essentially "upgrade" your existing panels? 🤔

[@SupraSav]

Maintenance nightmare waiting to happen. You would have to connect that into the circuit by soldering into it... The labour involved is not worth it. Curious what a "quantum dot sheet" would cost. DIY things always tend to be marked up when they are highly desirable.

[@Ckay2552]

The transparent part is totally easy. They are only absorbing light with higher energy than their colour and let the lower energy pass. So yes, it would be theoretical possible to add a layer of orange, yellow green or even blue particles on top, as the standard silicon solar cells are in the "red" energy range. The problem is probably contacting the new cells and sealing them on top of the old ones. I guess it is easier to just build new panels and seal them together

[@jimspear3033]

The junction loss from changing materials with a cover sheet should be small enough to allow an upgrade at least 10 percent to the total output.

[@Ckay2552]

@@jimspear3033 you mean increase by 10% or add 10% points? I doubt the last one because single junction quantum dot cells alone have just reached 12% efficiency in the lab. On scale it is normally at least 5% lower. Add the losses for the lower cell and you can be glad if you added 10% efficiency.

[@jameswalshe09]

This can be done through retrofitting the solar devices with semitransparent layers (such as PMMA or EVA) which are doped with quantum dots. However, their stability tends to be a limiting factor in the longevity of the additional layer.

[@AdvantestInc]

Matt, your breakdown of quantum dot technology is top-notch. Loved the optimistic outlook on quantum dots in solar energy.

[@mikep490]

Thank you for the explanation. I grew up in a world where I could take apart most "high tech" and understand how it worked, even as a kid. When electronics hit the market a few courses brought me up to speed. 45 years later and I've entered a world of black boxes. I can usually make them work but, like a monkey, know just enough to hook them together. Then there are these new technologies that are mind blowing. It's like we've returned to the early 1900's, when the horseless carriage was introduced... but across all fields. But this time, it's all "black boxes" given to us by wizards.

[@StraightBar]

Worth to mention that Poland has launched a factory that produces perovskite flexible solar panels, sauletech 😊

[@crazyfrogextended]

I guess we finally figured out how many polacks it takes to change a light bulb

[@bschil1]

Matt, thank you for all these videos! Please keep them coming! I learn so much from your videos!

[@UndecidedMF]

Glad you're enjoying them!

[@dwaynemcsloy4213]

Keep the videos and podcasts coming. I throughly enjoy listening and learning.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks so much. So glad you’re enjoying them.

[@rickhobson3211]

I love how balanced your reporting is! Thank you for another great episode!

[@RyuuKageDesu]

It was your earlier solar panel videos that originally brought me to this channel, so I'm always fascinated with new developments.

[@hampyonce]

I have limited anecdotal experience with Microdots.

[@tomcoryell]

Noooo. Quaaantuuum dots. Thanks for the laugh!

[@oijosh6286]

Microdots, wow that's taken me back a good 30 years, had forgotten about them . Them, and green pyramids - little lego looking things. 🤪

[@brianlink391]

Peace pot microdot

[@hndit2u]

😂🎉

[@joesmith4494]

Best comment

[@scarletevans4474]

How is it possible that I am not subscribed? Just first several seconds of the video inspired me! Amazing content, can't wait to watch more videos!

[@docjaramillo]

I remember reading about Quantum Dots developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory… for some reason I remember they could also be applied to existing windows, like applying a film…?

[@JamesJohansen]

certainly you can make quantum dot solar cells to fit any frequency of light you want to harvest. Instead of reflecting UV and IR, you could turn that energy into electricity and allow the visible spectrum to pass. The economics of that may or may not be practical.

[@Meditations2024]

We already use Quantum filters in TVs. The technology is already here. With both multi junction and quantum dots, the theoretical efficiency jumps to slightly over 80%. This obviously drastically reduces the area required to produce the same wattage and leaps solar far past wind in efficiency per area covered, even in northern latitudes.

[@dertythegrower]

Undervoted.. ❤

[@Xeadin101]

I'm also hopeful that quantum dot technology will make its way to the solar sector. The biggest challenge they currently face, that Matt pointed out in the video, is their apparent degradation in sunlight exposure. This makes them no more appealing than a novel technology with the current physical limitations. If they can figure out a way to make quantum dot panels last a long time in sunlight, and use as little toxic material as (or use no toxic materials if at all) possible in the manufacturing process, then I think quantum dots have a shot at drastically changing the solar landscape.

[@JamesJohansen]

@@Xeadin101 That is not nearly as much of an issue for III-V quantum dots due to their strong covalent bonds, With InN, we can actually get functional devices with concentrated sunlight. Matt ignored the most promising quantum dots in this video. I founded a nanotech startup focused on solar applications of III-V quantum dots in 1998 and made a functional optical sensor based on materials we had produced in the Wells lab at Duke. We made the world's first III-V quantum dots back in the late 80s, and my nanotech startup took that almost to the point of a solar breakthrough before the company died in 2009.. The biggest challenge for quantum dot solar cells is solving the carrier transport problem. That is why Quantum Dot Corporation went belly up... we came up with a solution but never had the chance to prove it... we were decades ahead of our time.

[@beyondfossil]

This is true. But what's much more common are all the fluorescent inks (highlighters) and high visibility safety gear we've had for decades. They do the same thing in principle: converting a short wavelength photon (UV) into longer wavelength photon (visible light) compatible with our eyes. Thus making these objects appear much brighter to us. I'm imagining if this quantum dot (QD) stuff is perfected for cost and longevity, it could also be sold as a translucent roll you can buy off eBay and retrofit onto existing solar photovoltaics to get extra power out of them!

[@Bluemusic66]

Yes, he said that on the first 30 seconds.

[@blackchallis]

I've done a few micro dots over the years, this one sounds even better

[@bobbastian760]

Sign me up 😂

[@waynegosson1793]

I love these channels. Content creators like Matt are not getting enough recognItion. Keep up the excellent work !

[@UndecidedMF]

I appreciate that!

[@johngraven]

Also, quantum dots offer a really important aspect of band Gap harvesting within the 615 nanometer range, for example, in red, or conversely in the UV range and changing it to a more beneficial color whether it be from harvesting off of a surface that is reflecting it back and then turning it into electricity. Very similar to your AeroGel comments on glass. Very interesting show, really appreciate your work

[@bettyswallocks6411]

Fun fact 1: French artist George Seurat used billions of quantum dots to paint a portrait of Erwin Schroedinger’s cat.

[@TwoBitDaVinci]

Great video Matt! I've always heard of quatum dots for new TV Displays, but hadn't thought about their application in solar! If we can figure out a non toxic long lasting blend, it would be such a game changer!

[@JamesJohansen]

we figured that out back in the early 2000s

[@mahbubhossainsamm]

66% 😮 This world is truly awesome! ✌🏻

[@michaelmartin9022]

Imagine the roof of your garage charging your electric car for nothing

[@rachel_rexxx]

If quantum dot solar cells generate electricity using infrared radiation, couldn't these also be used to recapture waste heat (aka blackbody radiation)?

[@jimparr01Utube]

Heat, and therefore cooling has always been a (until now manageable) problem with solar panels. I have often 'idly' wondered if two solar energy collection methods would be beneficial... Viz: * Devise a means to run 'clean' water across the top of a solar panel without blocking most of the visible spectrum. I would try thin membrane of IR transparent glass or acrylic for the cover and water ingress/egress. If always inclined to some degree, this can be a low-energy pumping arrangement when ingress from the top and warmer water collected from the bottom. * With a simple, parallel side-by-side arrangement in a row of panels for water injection and collection, and suitable use (heat-pump-tech?) of the warmer water at a collection point, panels can be kept efficient in the solar sense while also using the thermal differential to employ in a variety of energy harvesting options and the now cooled water can be circulated back into the solar arrays. Lagged piping may be necessary. * In regions where snow is a problem - trashing electrical output from arrays laden with snow, it should be practical to reverse the process in order to prevent the accumulation of snow atop the solar arrays. * 50 years ago one of my cousins devised a truly brilliant DIY way of warming his young daughter's paddling pool in their back yard... Garden hose affixed along the roof apex with a small hole every inch or so and plugged at the end (corrugated iron roof). Water from the pool was fed to the hose via a small pump and he had a simple diversion from the gutter down-pipe to feed back into the pool. This would even work pretty good on a dull winter's day. Debbie LOVED that little pool.

[@faustinpippin9208]

The already sell water colled solar panels...

[@jimparr01Utube]

@@faustinpippin9208 OK! Thanks Sir. Good to know.

[@LazzyNinja]

Very interesting video as Always, great job and thanks for keeping us updated on the tech breakthrough Matt !

[@clmk28]

i really appreciate how you always update us on the latest solar cell technology.

[@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk]

I saw an offer the other day for solar panels at $0.28 per watt. But you had to buy a 31 panel batch. With the price coming down so hard, innovation will be having a harder time becoming competitive. The real benefit of quantum dots in the end will be in much smaller panels with traditional output. It could make solar on vehicles do much more powerful, but for rooftop installations cost will be a greater factor.

[@GhostFS]

It's quite true... As said in other comment I have worked in advanced photovoltaic research, Quantum dot first, than organic photovoltaic and a bit of perovskite. Then... research found on topic dropped, because innovation in the process of production of Si wafer and scale factor in production due to the smartphone revolution have started to drop heavily the traditional photovoltaic price. Decided to change job into something that could give a better impact in the short time.

[@ChriDDel]

In germany you can buy panels for 0,18€ or 0,20€ with tax. The tax is removed at the moment to push the use. 430W panels for 75€. Or even 0,14€ with 405W at 56€.

[@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk]

@@ChriDDel it’s getting so cheap, it’s hard to make excuses not to get solar

[@ChriDDel]

@@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk I bought a 2 Panel 800W setup for 295€ only because it was cheap. 😁 I gifted it away inside the family.

[@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk]

@@ChriDDel that’s the perfect garage, gazebo or van power. Source.

[@christophermontoya6178]

Clearly this technology has great potential , however it also needs more research and development moving in to the future. This also gives me more hope that in the near future mankind will eventually find more efficient and economical ways of making electricity that are better than what we have know . With this in mind I am also a firm believer in proven well known and established technology like traditional electricity from coal and oil to operate as an emergency back up in the worst case scenario.

[@SimonRGates]

I remember reading about quantum dot solar in the early 90s... Current factory gate prices for solar panels are $0.05/W in China, $0.10 delivered. Even US produced panels are $0.18/W at the moment. $0.80 per Watt is the utility installed price, not the panel price. Even consumer prices of Chinese panels are $0.16/W in the UK. $1.00/W is quite high.

[@SimplySketchyGT]

Yeah in the UK the government decided to bind renewable energy price caps to that of fossil fuels so renewable energy costs to the consumer have rocketed as the unit cost of energy is basically driven by gas. Add that to production and material cost increases due to brexit.

[@dertythegrower]

No.. no you didnt

[@dertythegrower]

Making your own things is harder when asia has welfare handed out like gold fish.. look at byd, they copy elon and get 3 billion to lower prices to be able to compete.. most dont realize that

[@SimonRGates]

@@dertythegrower no I didn't what? Quantum dots were first made in the early 80s, and their application to solar panels was obvious back then. It wasn't until we found out how to mass produce them in the early 90s that people started taking it seriously and writing it up in popular science magazines.

[@SeeNickView]

Yeah I'm in the solar space, and I want to say we're seeing $0.2-0.3/W for utility-scale panels. $0.5-0.8/W is crazy high. Might be outdated data

[@SteveMichaels]

Quantum dots has me excited for the future on a very small scale. Enjoyed watching Matt ! Ty for sharing

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for watching!

[@explorerofmind]

Can’t wait till my roof is 60% cooler from being covered with quantum dot technology with all that extra energy going into a solid state residential battery!

[@D4rkrays]

Watching this during a power outage is soo funny to me. If only we had access to this like rn

[@austinbambooinc2507]

This reminds me of the story of how the blue LED's were developed. Sulfides of those heavy metals tend to be the most stable, least toxic option. The compound with the widest bandwidth is going to be pyrargyrite/prousite. There are even some farms in Eastland county,Texas where tit washes out of the soil in rocks.

[@louisjov]

As many people may have pointed out already, the intermittency problem of solar panels would likely get solved with existing technology and more energy storage. However, massively improving effectively with technology like this could make automotive solar panels even more viable

[@davepermen]

for many rooftops (esp outside the oversize houses in the US), the current efficiencies are not enough for 24h of power generation during the daytime, so storage is not the only thing needed to solve it. same for further away from the equator, too. so this tech would matter a lot for home installations, too.

[@louisjov]

​@@davepermenInteresting you bring up areas further from the equator, I actually live in Alaska, and there is A LOT of solar up here because of the long days. Interestingly, a lot of panels are also mounted on the sides of buildings because of the high latitude. The more efficient solar panels would absolutely be huge for the winter though​

[@byronwatkins2565]

Excitons (electrons bound to holes) are neutral so making more excitons does not directly increase current or efficiency. Excitons might be separated by lower energy photons or (occasionally) a phonon (thermal energy). Excitons might recombine and emit a photon that then liberates a pair (electron + hole) in a narrower band semiconductor. Two excitons might collide so that one decays and donates its energy to separate the other. Or excitons might migrate to a narrower band semiconductor to spontaneously separate into pairs. Semiconductor quantum dots can easily be tailored to absorb photons with specific energy that liberates an exciton. By mixing quantum dots to absorb many wavelengths across the spectrum, we can greatly increase the absorption of light. Efficiency will then be increased if those excitons can be used to liberate more electron-hole pairs within a pn junction.

[@JamesJohansen]

True! using quantum dots to absorb photons close to their bandgap energy will give the greatest efficiency. Victor Klimov proved multiple carrier generation in quantum dots, paving the way for more efficient use of one variety of dots, but a plurality of dots will still beat that approach if they can be matched to the appropriate wavelength of light. One approach we proposed many years ago was to use diffractive optics and solar concentration to make super efficient solar cells based on Q-dots. The idea was that we could print the q-dots in stripes and lay the rainbow pattern down on them such that each color hit the appropriate bandgap dot. using III-V dots, we avoided the stability issues and allowed potentially higher efficiency by using concentrated light. This approach also had some significant advantages for wiring etc, since you did not have to have the entire absorbing surface active... most would just be cheap optics directing concentrated light to the active regions.

[@johnbarker5009]

The idea that solar panels could one day be twice a efficient with little difference in cost is very impressive.

[@skierpage]

"could"

[@beyondzeroemissions]

They are 10c/W at the moment and he said less than $1/W so 10x the price. They will need to be 10-20c/W

[@GhostFS]

My Master Thesis in Material science and my first work in a Startup was on Quantum dot for intermediate band solar cell. Quite a bit of time agò.. 2006-2008. Too bad in all this time, their use was more successful as led to produce light and screen than for solar cell. Save the world and become rich in the process was our dream at the time :D

[@moritz7179]

spoiler alert: if you're trying to become rich you are definetly not going to save humanity

[@ScoobyFermentation]

@@moritz7179Tell that to Elon Musk

[@williamgidrewicz4775]

Hey another way to use quantum dots is the shape theme into other structures for specific uses such as GES Grid Energy Storage!😮

[@lagmonster7789]

If you want a deeper dive into QDs I highly recommend Techaltar's "I made TV colors from scratch!" video where he actually creates Quantum dots, it's surprisingly simple 😁

[@ericthecyclist]

What's never been clear to me is whether the lower energy photons emitted by a quantum dot were in the same direction the higher energy photon absorbed by the dot. If they get emitted in random directions, then you would expect half of the lower energy photons to be emitted in a direction away from the solar panel,. Unless I'm missing something, this means you'd lose any potential gain from converting a single high energy photon into two lower energy photons, unless you have a very interesting surface geometry. My suspicion is that the dots emit in random directions because when you shine a light onto a vial of them, the vial appears to light up, you don't see a beam of the desired color come out the other side.

[@mnhtnman]

Thank you and good morning!!!

[@UndecidedMF]

Good morning!

[@bettyswallocks6411]

Fun fact 2: If you stretch a metaphor too far, it metamorphosises.

[@brianlink391]

A team at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) developed organic cation-based perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) using an alkyl ammonium iodide-based ligand exchange strategy. This technique has boosted the efficiency of PQDs from 13% to 18.1%, demonstrating both high efficiency and long-term stability, retaining performance after over two years of storage​ The integration of QD and perovskite technologies has been pivotal. Researchers have created solar cells that achieve a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 23.74% by enhancing the alignment of energy levels and the efficient collection of electric charges through the unique properties of quantum dots​ (Tech Xplore)​.

[@travishartzler9155]

I can vouch for the sponsor of this video. I have 2 Ecoflow Delta Pro 2's, and I'm very happy with them.

[@alfabsc]

Thanks for another excellent explanation of physics. I watched your video on my quantum dot monitor/TV. I have a better understanding of how my monitor works, now.

[@pepper77449]

What about the silver, indium, galium panels used in space. They highly efficient and can be made for about $0.25 per watt.

[@niteriderevo9179]

they also do not have the planet's atmosphere to contend with, unlike down on the ground..

[@AaronFigFront]

It is especially exciting because the tech also have consumers electronics’ interests. QD lcd panels with miniled, QD oled and self emissive QD panels in the future. Samsung, sharp and a few others have just showed cadmium free self emissive QD display at computex.

[@christmassnow3465]

I want to know how does a quantum dot connect to the surface of the solar panel and how are the electrons conducted.

[@gerryblodgett871]

Excellent and effective presentation on Quantum Dots. Gerry

[@KK-sg5gl]

So someone out there is paying 8-10 times the cost of a solar panel to get a 10% upgrade in energy? Why is that even an option for the consumer?

[@zweigackroyd7301]

Ever hear of research?

[@KK-sg5gl]

@@zweigackroyd7301not the kind where I as a customer would fund it. That’s a cost of operation.

[@zweigackroyd7301]

@@KK-sg5gl Right. How is that relevant here with products that aren't commercially available? And if you think customers don't fund research, some refresher economics might be in order. Finally, in a free market, consumers have choices which won't always align with yours. Why does that bother you?

[@jamesnasmith984]

This account of quantum dots has shrunken my list of quantum question marks. Thank you.

[@groMMit1981]

How small modular nuclear could change everything? How liquid green hydrogen could change everything? How graphite could change everything? How cold fusion could change everything?

[@michaelmartin9022]

Graphite did change everything. The pencil was a revolution in a world of quill pens!

[@groMMit1981]

@@michaelmartin9022 Here's your gold star for missing the point and being proper pedantic, well done xx ⭐

[@swipekonme]

We always visualize solar cells as flat. I have heard of some having ridges or the like to increase surface area, but the max surface area can come from tubes because of internal reflection like an optic fiber

[@adolcristin3526]

@@swipekonme that's also my thoughts they can alter the desigh of solar panels like cones,tubes, spheres shape to absorb more light

[@darkhorseman8263]

Creating a photon vortex quantum dot, perhaps.

[@JohnStephan-j7u]

Hey Matt when do you predict that we will see real-world practical application and wide-spread availability of all these crazy new technologies. Love your videos. Respect your opinion.

[@ZubairKhan-vs8fe]

I love your channel and your videos. I just wish a lot of this tech could come to market in my lifetime

[@robertweekes5783]

Even if solar panels were 100% efficient, their impact will always be limited by their size, maintenance and material costs. Nuclear power is not limited this way and can be scaled as needed. Support th0rium 💡

[@HeliophobicRiverman]

Man, I hope schools these days have an explanation for "quantum" stuff somewhere in their curriculum. The term "quantum" is very overused considered how little the general population, me included, understands what it means.

[@dertythegrower]

It is taught often, on mainstream networks

[@AceneDean]

While that is true, this is not an example of that. These are called Quantum Dots because they utilize quantum effects that cannot occur on the macroscale. In this case, it is literally descriptive.

[@drillerdev4624]

Like AI, Big Data, or anything you can create buzz with

[@marcinna8553]

I was in the same position, even though I actually used quantum dots a lot in some molecular biology work. I finally started learning about quantum physics on KZbin. I think it is also important to learn a field like quantum physics by going through the history of the discoveries that led to technologies today.

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

"Quantum" is pretty much synonymous with "smallest". So basically smaller than atoms.

[@seanburke424]

Only a certain amount of sunlight falls on a given area. Even if your solar panel captured that energy at 100% efficiency, that's the limit. You can't get more than 100%, and at night, you get 100% of nothing.

[@petecoogan]

Quantum dots work by applying the power of the word quantum to make SCIENCE!

[@FranciscoTChavez]

A simplified way to understand why changing the size of a Quantum Dot changes the color of light it interacts with. Light, well photons, have a frequency, the same way sound has a frequency. Like sound, the length (well distance) that the photon wave covers is based on the frequency. Higher frequencies have waves that cover a shorter distance. This means that materials that interact with photons can do some funny things when their size perfectly matches up with the length (or the half-length) of the photon wave. This means that a photon's frequency changes both its wavelength and color. Because of this, Quantum Dots interact with different colors at different sizes. Basically, the size of a Quantum Dot changes the color of light it interacts with the same way that the length of string on an instrument changes the note it plays when plucked. The same string at the same tension will play a different note if you change it's length, something guitar players are very familiar.

[@stickynorth]

I don't think is going to lead to any massive technological breakthrough's however if they can get it working commercially? So much the better for us all... Kind of like how I feel with both fusion and fission SMR technology... Skeptical but cautiously optimistic as well!

[@drive-channel1834]

This comment section is a *game changer* It will *revolutionize everything* And *breaking the law of "whatever"* And *destroying the "whatever" industry* And most importantly restore your common sense. Thanks everyone, for participating in this comment section. Have a nice day. Pro-tip: don't watch the video, go straight to this *mind boggling* comment section.

[@johnkeck]

Great video, Matt! Very informative and well explained

[@Enonymouse_]

It might cost 1$ per watt to make, but my 400 watt panels for 13 of them installed cost over 30k usd installed. Another topic not talked about here is inverter or micro inverter efficiency, which affects panel performance. The short of it is you get significantly less output than you paid for In panels.

[@adamlytle2615]

The lifespan thing is an interesting sticking point - to me the big question is how ready are we to recycle them and can it be done for cost that keeps the technology as a whole competitive. In other words, if you factor in the recycling costs to the payback period for panel, how does it compare to a conventional panel? On the other hand if we're not sure if we know how to recycle them, maybe we don't go full steam ahead with them anyway.

[@bedardpelchat]

Think about LED light. It took over 40 years to go from the use of a diode in electronics to producing light. Someone somewhere had an eureka moment. That will or might happen with this as well!

[@jscotthamilton5809]

Ultrabright LEDs, the source behind LED lighting, took about 15 years to perfect, with a lot of the work spearheaded by Phillips. It wasn't a matter of finding the right idea. It was a matter of the engineering work to keep ultrabright LEDs from killing themselves with their own heat output, and to bring the cost down. But even before then, the tungsten filament lightbulb was already being obsoleted by compact fluorescent technology, and again, cost was becoming the deciding factor in the technology switch.

[@bedardpelchat]

@@jscotthamilton5809 Thanks for this output. I have not been an enthusiastic buyer of fluorescent lights using mercury that would end up in landfield. It took a long time to come up with something else than 'daylight' or 'cool white' which is not cool at all. Now there are also 3000K tubes that provide a light closer to halogen. But LED are way more superior in energy use and variety of spectral lighting.

[@hosaleeparrish1194]

Nice, looking forward to performing and experiment on a project with this item

[@kirk2459]

Unless some company can make a truck loads of cash off it and design it to fail within years so it has to be continuously replaced this will never happen.

[@microtech2448]

I believe in engineering and innovation from history, a lot has been achieved while there was a lack of source of information, but today it is not a barrier and scientific and engineers can achieve what they want by continuous efforts.

[@lordj805]

I discovered long ago that scientists/developers discovered that the efficiency of existing panel technology could be improved to 60, or even 70%, by copying nature. As in the tracks that capture the floating electrons, if the design of the panel, are like the ribs of an trees leaf. Why did we never see these panel's in the 1980's. Complexity and cost of production made it unviable.

[@johnfrancis4401]

Science is fascinating. THANK YOU 👍👍👍

[@VictorHHH7]

Nanoco listed in the UK have cadmium free quantum dot technology, so it’s not just in India like you suggested moving this technology forward

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the commentary.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for watching.

[@jingthethief]

wonderful video. thanks for the learning.

[@OhThatsLionHeart]

They need to be dipped in a weatherproof or tinting formula. Or incased

[@nacoran]

If you can harvest in the infrared range, does that mean, by virtue of converting that to electricity instead of heat, your panel might stay cooler?

[@jamesjensen5000]

Please cover agrivoltaic double sided solar collection suspended above crops to reduce water use and shade plants…while collecting electricity.

[@livemore522]

11:43 Ayyyy thats my university. Thanks Matt for mentioning.

[@darkisland04]

This could be a big improvement IF the problems can be solved.

[@darthsirrius]

You weren't joking about the Star Trek sounding stuff lol. Perovskite quantum dot photovoltaics is what they probably use to power the Heisenberg compensator lol.

[@bellofbelmont]

Just around the corner ...... but how far down the street is that corner. 😞 At least there's heaps of work being done. Jim Bell (Australia)

[@LumenCache]

Those EcoFlow can directly power the LumenCache ReNetA lighting. Squeeze more out of the EcoFlow battery.

[@maryp4330]

I always find your channel very interesting and informative. Though I do not understand everything about the quantum dots. I do understand their potential, however, I believe we are facing a monumental energy shortage in the future and am really concerned about where this energy will be coming from in a future, which is getting here rapidly.

[@AhTechus]

The editing and pacing were perfect.

[@edwardv54]

I basically like the EcoFlow and can see many uses for it. But for home backup I wish it came with a much larger base capacity. 15-20kWh or more.

[@JKVisFX]

We're pretty crafty apes, like the vast majority of engineering and scientific problems to solve, we eventually do solve them. Some seem almost intractable (nuclear fusion for example) but, we usually figure them out. I have no doubt that more efficient solar cells using a tech. like quantum dots will be figured out too.

[@Objectified]

We've already figured out nuclear energy, including nuclear waste storage and recycling. We literally already have a solution that is affordable, is actually safe (contrary to the ongoing low-key hysteria still in effect), and is more than scalable enough to take over the lion's share of energy generation.

[@JKVisFX]

@@Objectified We need all forms of clean energy, including improved solar, wind, and ultimately, fusion.

[@joshuasomeones9618]

QD-OLED screens aren't all sunshine ether. They are prone to something that looks similar to burn in. Newer TVs have methods of avoiding the burn in issue. Easier than Solar Panels for sure though. I could type out all the details but I wrote a huge paragraph that no one would read, just look it up if you are interested. It isn't actually a burn in, it just looks like burn in.

[@XentorAntarix]

Gibts da endlich mal was handfestes, weil von dem Projekt hab ich schon vor über 20 Jahren gehört das das so super toll wär. Aber seit dem hab ich da nie wieder was davon gehört.

[@nobodycares1881]

Cannot wait tp have my cybernetic implants covered in quantam dot solar panels

[@MichaelKusugak]

Matt, what is it with li-ion batteries. Energizers used to last a year in my thermometer sensors. Now they last barely 6 months, sometimes barely 2 months.

[@sticky7711]

MEG is really really really hard to do. Need correct band structure, correct size, correct phonon modes, and the material should be stable. It's very cool and worth studying, but I'm very pessimistic it will leave the lab.

[@DiscombobulatedSenpai]

Awesome! I learned about something similar to quantum dots, last year, regarding an impressive Barium Sulfate paint that has remarkably high emissivity to prevent heat transfer. It's non-toxic, the materials are widely available, and with a bit of precaution, can even be produced at home. Essentially, you make multiple solutions of barium sulfate with varying sized multi-micron spheres, similar to the quantum dots. When mixed together, the different sized orbs have a sort of exponential fractal effect on energy attempting to pass through it. For any interested, I learned it from the youtube channel "Tech Ingredients" in a video called: Revolutionary Paint: How to Make Surfaces Stay Cool in the Sun

[@DiscombobulatedSenpai]

I forgot to mention, this is also why Opals have such brilliant color changes due to the different sized silica particles causing different wavelengths of light to reflect off. Similar to the ranbow assortment of quantum dot jars shown in this video.

[@aneelbiswas6784]

2:39 The visualization of DNA strand width is extremely misleading. The width from one helix to the other helix is ~2nm. The dot in the visualization has an area of ~0.1 nm x 0.1 nm drastically smaller than any quantum dot. In cutting-edge biophysical optical microscopy, quantum dots are considered too large as flurophores.

[@towinandsave1520]

@@aneelbiswas6784 I bet you are fun at parties

[@epaminon6196]

I've been hearing about Quantum Dot solar technology for 17 years by now. I don't think they'll come to fruition during my lifetime. 😔 I hope that the younger generations alive today will eventually get to live in a world with highly efficient solar cells though.

[@davocc2405]

I do like the notion of something that lets only certain wavelengths through - could this be used to preclude infrared from panels to reduce their overheating and subsequent impacts on efficiency? Wondering if this could result in a film or cover for existing panels in really hot climates.

[@jaxflguitar]

why not small glass prisms to split the light.

[@klepow]

These could be a game changer in specific applications, such as solar powered vehicles maybe, but usually I'm under the impression that we have enough space for adequate amounts of solar panels. I'm more looking forward to innovations like sodium ion batteries.

[@nftawes2787]

Me: but can we make quantum perovskidots?! Matt about 30 seconds later: Bet