According to studies, capsaicin may be the key to the development of low-cost solar cells with an efficiency equal to that of the most expensive cells. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers, precisely what makes them spicy.
According to a group of Chinese and Swedish scientists, by applying capsaicin to solar cells, there is greater efficiency in converting solar energy into electricity because an abundance of electrons is created. Experiments were carried out at Shanghai University and it was shown that cells with capsaicin have an efficiency of 21.88% while the most expensive solar technology currently has a record efficiency of 21.93%. Additionally, cells with capsaicin showed greater sustainability over time, maintaining 90% of their efficiency after 800 hours. Almost the same efficiency and an advantage in stability over costly solar panels.
And what advantages can the use of capsaicin have? This component is available in the world at a much lower cost than most solar cell components. In particular, scientists think that the use of chili may be the key to making solar cells mass marketable.
In Hugo Restrepo y Cía. We have focused in the last 45+ years on the use of chili in the food industry through the sale of pastes, purees and concentrates. In collaboration with Universities such as ICESI, Universidad del Valle and SENA, we have refined the handling techniques of our ingredient and today we can provide capsaicin in different forms such as wax or oleoresin. Most useful formats for the pharmaceutical, nutritional and other industries such as photovoltaic cells.
It is very interesting for us to see the opportunities in other industries and as ingredient suppliers we know that the key is to adapt the product to the needs of each industry.
