Nanoantennas envisioned as possible replacement for solar cells

[Eletruk]

The nanoantennas are very efficient, capturing 80% of the infrared energy in the prototype. The main drawback is they haven't yet firgured out how to convert that captured energy to electricity, mainly because the output is extremely high frequency AC, higher than today's recitifers can handle.

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38831/113/

[aviken]

Sounds like it generates electricity from heat. Well there you have it, the answer to global warming. Just turn our excess heat into electricity, voila!

[Eletruk]

You might actually have a valid point there. Since the greenhouse effect is the infrared rays from the sun getting trapped in the atmosphere, a device which would absorb the infrared, and give us power at the same time might actually do that. Of course you would probably have to cover the oceans with it for any real effect, but still, the idea has some merit.

[aviken]

For some reason, I like ideas that often are good in principal, but would require mass adoption to be effective...this falls along that line...the other thing I've been pondering about this whole carbon footprint thing...ah that'd be a new topic...