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RTI Boasts New Solar Energy Technology

A North Carolina research firm says it's taken a significant step toward making solar energy a widely-marketable source of electricity. RTI International says its new solar cells use an ink-like material produced at much lower cost than traditional silicon panels. Jay Lewis is a senior research scientist with the RTP nonprofit.

Jay Lewis said, "The devices we make are not as good as silicon; we think they can be a lot cheaper. But what's really exciting about the materials that we found is that we feel like there's a lot of room for improvement, and we can see these someday being competitive with the more expensive technologies in terms of the efficiency, while having a much lower cost."

Lewis says to achieve that, RTI's new cells need to absorb more light. He says he's optimistic because there are well-known ways to do that. Even with their current lower efficiency, Lewis believes the cells may find a market. He says they're cheaper, more adaptable, and don't come with high installation costs.

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.
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