Nanotubes May Improve Solar Energy Harvesting

eldavojohn writes "Scientists are hoping that the 'coaxial cable' style nanotube they developed will resolve energy issues that come with converting sunlight to energy. The plants currently have us beat in this department but research is discovering new ways to eliminate inefficiencies in transferring photons to energy. Traditional methods involve exciting electrons to the point of jumping to a higher state which leaves 'holes.' Unfortunately, these electrons and holes remain in the same regions and therefore tend to recombine. The new nanotubes hope to route these excited electrons off in the same way a coaxial cable allows a return route for electrons. End result is fewer electrons settling back into their holes once they are elevated out of them yielding a higher return in energy."

Wrong headline

[rumblin'rabbit]

The proper headline should be "global warming solved for 3rd time this week".

a series of tubes?

[Anonymous Coward]

nanotubes - what the nanonet is made of!

Hmm

[tttonyyy]

"Hope", "may" and "unfortunately" all in one article.

It's like reading about Duke Nukem Forever.

Re:Wrong headline

[PPH]

So does this mean that the Internet might actually be a bunch of wires as well, instead of a bunch of tubes?

Please say it ain't so!

OK, I have the middle steps

[gmcraff]

1) Develop high efficiency, long life solar cells
2) Figure out how to process lunar resources with robotic factories to make said cells
3) Plate the entire far size of the moon
4) Transmit the energy back to earth with a few lunar horizon transmitting stations with atmosphere and cloud penetrating lasers/masers/whatever
5) PROFIT
6) Reserve fossil fuels for high-energy-density required transportation needs, not short distance ground transport or general power production
7) PROFIT plus ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
8) Colonize the moon with the residual infrastructure from the power grid
9) PROFIT plus ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS plus OFF-PLANET HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY
10) Use short lunar gravity well to build interplanetary transport, colonize Mars
11) PROFIT plus ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS plus FULLY REDUNDANT HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY
12) ???
13) A fully armed and operational battlestation
 

In other news

[Timesprout]

The US declares war on shrubs. 'This energy theft can no longer be tolerated and we will strike back in order to bring freedom to sunlight' announced Dick Cheney standing beside a rather nervous looking President Bush.