The Dream: Print-Out Solar Panels That Can Be Stapled to Your Roof

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Who needs big silicon panels? MIT scientists just coated paper with solar cells, reportedly the first team to ever do that. Vladimir Bulovic, director of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center, unveiled them this week, and said the design was being submitted for peer review. The printed solar cells, which Bulovic showed at a press conference Tuesday, are still in the research phase and are years from being commercialized. However, the technique, in which paper is coated with organic semiconductor material using a process similar to an inkjet printer, is a promising way to lower the weight of solar panels. "If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value," Bulovic said [CNN].

Right now the solar cells on paper get just 1 to 2 percent efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity (some cells have achieved 40 percent or more in lab trials). But they carry the advantages of being flexible, and Bulovic says he could potentially use a number of different materials, not just the carbon-based dye used in these first attempts. And they're tunable:

MIT is focusing much of its effort on quantum dots, or tiny crystals that are only a few nanometers in size. A human hair is about 50,000 to 100,000 nanometers thick. By using different materials and sizes, researchers can fine-tune the colors of light that quantum dots can absorb, a way of isolating good candidates for quantum dot solar cells [CNN].

Bulovic gives the standard warning about new technologies—it could be a decade before it's ready for commercial development.

And once it is? There's no telling how it could revolutionize the home solar industry, which currently relies on pricey professional installers to set up panels [Inhabitat].

http://blogs.discove...d-to-your-roof/

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Who needs big silicon panels? MIT scientists just coated paper with solar cells, reportedly the first team to ever do that. Vladimir Bulovic, director of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center, unveiled them this week, and said the design was being submitted for peer review. The printed solar cells, which Bulovic showed at a press conference Tuesday, are still in the research phase and are years from being commercialized. However, the technique, in which paper is coated with organic semiconductor material using a process similar to an inkjet printer, is a promising way to lower the weight of solar panels. "If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value," Bulovic said [CNN].

Right now the solar cells on paper get just 1 to 2 percent efficiency at converting sunlight to electricity (some cells have achieved 40 percent or more in lab trials). But they carry the advantages of being flexible, and Bulovic says he could potentially use a number of different materials, not just the carbon-based dye used in these first attempts. And they're tunable:

MIT is focusing much of its effort on quantum dots, or tiny crystals that are only a few nanometers in size. A human hair is about 50,000 to 100,000 nanometers thick. By using different materials and sizes, researchers can fine-tune the colors of light that quantum dots can absorb, a way of isolating good candidates for quantum dot solar cells [CNN].

Bulovic gives the standard warning about new technologies—it could be a decade before it's ready for commercial development.

And once it is? There's no telling how it could revolutionize the home solar industry, which currently relies on pricey professional installers to set up panels [Inhabitat].

http://blogs.discove...d-to-your-roof/

Remember the spray on approach developed last year?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I am starting to see more and more small manufacturers going big on solar power. A local door manufacturer just covered the roof of their building with panels. This is probably a more sensible approach, since the power is available when it is needed, as opposed to residential, which is usually vacant the 5 out of 7 days, when peak power is available, though not utilized by the homeowner(s).

[mawilson 2,133]

Just hope it never rains.

[DEDixon 39]

my house is in a very windy area. just across the delta, i can see over 1000 windmills from my house. i'm in CA so my biggest gas/electric bill is 120 a month (summer time it is 50 dollars). i've checked into wind power just because of where i live and because it does interest me. it would cost absolutely no less than 20,000 dollars to install. it would take a long time for me to realize any benefit (ROI). i'd be long gone too since not only me, but a lot of americans move about once every 5 years. most people realize they won't be around when the benefit kicks in (ROI). i also don't think i'd get that 20,000 back when i sell. i say 20,000 but i think it is more like 30,000 to 35,000 to install.

some tax credits do bring down the cost, but still not to the point i'd see any ROI or i'd recoup when selling.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

my house is in a very windy area. just across the delta, i can see over 1000 windmills from my house. i'm in CA so my biggest gas/electric bill is 120 a month (summer time it is 50 dollars). i've checked into wind power just because of where i live and because it does interest me. it would cost absolutely no less than 20,000 dollars to install. it would take a long time for me to realize any benefit (ROI). i'd be long gone too since not only me, but a lot of americans move about once every 5 years. most people realize they won't be around when the benefit kicks in (ROI). i also don't think i'd get that 20,000 back when i sell. i say 20,000 but i think it is more like 30,000 to 35,000 to install.

some tax credits do bring down the cost, but still not to the point i'd see any ROI or i'd recoup when selling.

Yeah, California is a tough call. In the summer, if you want solar, you got to cut the trees out of the way. Leave the trees, and your A/C doesn't need to work near as hard. I am also seeing more wind generators in the coastal hills, but so far, one at a time, not the huge windmill farms like on 580 near Altamont.

[DEDixon 39]

i like this system for the home: http://windspireenergy.com/windspire/photos-and-videos/?album=9&gallery=32

true, bill, CA is definitely a hard sell. it is good for areas where the electric frequently fails (santa cruz mountain area??), but if power is reliable, i can't justify it.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

i like this system for the home: http://windspireener...um=9&gallery=32

true, bill, CA is definitely a hard sell. it is good for areas where the electric frequently fails (santa cruz mountain area??), but if power is reliable, i can't justify it.

I got a few customer off the grid, and they go solar full time. Changing batteries every couple of years gets expensive, and panels don't last more than ten years. However, compared to what PG&E wants to bring the power to them, the cost is justified.

ETA: We don't get as many outages as we used to, now that they pay Davey Tree to trim trees most of the year to keep the power lines clear. But, when it does, I got propane lanterns, and keep a few batteries charged up. I just clip on an inverter, and I still got sattelite and television.

Edited May 9, 2010 by ##########