Rounok Joardar, 17, of Plano, spent three years developing a novel high efficiency hybrid concentrator solar cell for his project in engineering for the Intel Science Talent Search, a program of Society for Science & the Public. Convinced that solar power can be an attractive replacement for fossil fuels, Rounok focused on reducing the cost per watt (CPW) of electricity generated by increasing cell efficiency, while also lowering cell cost and peripheral expenses. Through a series of experiments conducted in his own backyard with equipment he had constructed in the family garage, Rounok attempted to build an optimized solar cell by combining a conventional photovoltaic cell with a thermoelectric generator to convert the waste heat into energy. He believes this is the first known practical investigation of this type of hybrid cell, which showed a five percent reduction in CPW and a five percent increase in power output at the same time. A student at Plano West Senior High School, Rounok attended the London International Youth Science Forum, having qualified as first place award winner in engineering at the 2010 National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Rounok is fluent in Bengali and has studied Spanish extensively. He is the son of Kuntal Joardar and Nivedita Guha.

Tags: education, Intel Inspire, Intel Science Talent Search Finalists, Rounok Joardar, Society for Science & the Public

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