A high-speed rail line that takes passengers from Paris to Amsterdam has just gotten some solar bling. A two-mile portion of the track is now enclosed in a solar panel-covered tunnel.

The stretch of track is located near Antwerp, Belgium. A shelter was constructed around that piece of track to shield the trains from falling trees and debris while passing through a protected forest and then 16,000 solar panels were placed on top to make the most of the tunnel.

The solar array, installed by Belgium-based Enfinity, will help to power the Antwerp station. The panels will produce enough energy to power all the trains in Belgium for one day per year.

via The Guardian

Researchers at Empa (the Swiss national research laboratory) have achieved a new record in thin-film solar cell efficiency. The flexible solar cells are made from copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and these cells have achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 18.7 percent.

The previous record of 17.6 percent was achieved only a year previously (and by the same research group, too). This represents more than 6% improvement in the course of only a year. While that's not indicative of a larger trend, it is still a positive development.

Other kinds of solar cells have higher efficiencies, but the importance of thin-film efficiency has to do with economics of manufacture. Thin-film solar cells are inexpensive to produce, and, because of their physical flexibility, they are adaptable for use in a range of applications. Thin-film solar cells also offer perhaps the best possibility for cheaper-than-coal electricity.

Link: Empa Press Release (in German)

via: Treehugger