Flexible Solar Cells
Eco - Oddity of the Week
You know, when I look at traditional photovoltaic solar arrays (2nd photo), I say to myself. “I’m bored.” Sure they are fun to slide on, but look at all the problems they've caused.
First, traditional solar cells use silicon, and silicon is trés expensive considering it’s in high demand. Second, 70% of that silicon is wasted in the manufacturing process. And third, solar panels are made of glass which is hard to ship and hard to install. That translates to $3 per watt of energy v $1 per watt with coal.
Nanosolar cells (1st photo), on the other hand, require no silicon, and costs as low as 30 cents a watt for commercial applications. Dan Kammen, the founding director of the Renewable Energy Lab at UC Berkely says, “You’re talking about printing rolls of this stuff.”
And who’s using them? Well, California just launched the Million Solar Roofs initiative, where it’ll provide tax breaks for those who want to install solar roofs.
Dan Kammen states that you can print them on 18 wheelers, garages, “wherever you want”. Hm? I’d like to print my nanosolar cells on my sleeves, so I can auto-applaud their efforts without expending any energy.
For more detail of this award-winning technology (Innovation of Year!) and a nifty animation of its uses, go to Popular Science.
-Sanjiv & Our Resident Tech Contributor Stefan
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