Diamond Film Based Solar Cells

Diamond films made up of tiny microscopic diamond crystals can behave as solar cells reaching an efficiency of up to 50 %.  These films absorb heat instead of visible light to produce electricity. This phenomenon is known as thermionic emissions & no other material other than diamond is better at it.  A reflective dish would be required to focus sunlight onto a combination of two diamond films separated by a very thin layer of vacuum to produce high energy electrons which contribute to generating electricity.  Unlike silicon solar cells that degrade after 10 years, diamond film based cells can withstand high levels of radiation & have a very slow degradation rate. Also, the diamond film cells can withstand high temperature without any loss in efficiency, which affects the performance of conventional solar cells. Although the technology sounds expensive, at a bulk manufacturing level, the material could be made at $1 per square centimetre. The technology is at a Research & Development phase, but holds great promise to greatly improvise solar panel technology .