So glad to see continued innovations in this arena - and just cool stuff, you know. ;)
carlboygenius:
Printable A3-sized solar cells hit a new milestone in green energy
Imagine a future where solar panels speed off the presses, like newspaper. Australian scientists have brought us one step closer to that reality. Researchers from the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) have developed a printer that can print 10 meters of flexible solar cells a minute. Unlike traditional silicon solar cells, printed solar cells are made using organic semi-conducting polymers, which can be dissolved in a solvent and used like an ink, allowing solar cells to be printed. Not only can the VICOSC machine print flexible A3 solar cells, the machine can print directly on to steel, opening up the possibility for solar cells to be embedded directly into building materials. “Eventually we see these being laminated to windows that line skyscrapers,” said David Jones, a researcher at University of Melbourne who is involved with the work. “By printing directly to materials like steel, we’ll also be able to embed cells onto roofing materials.” Printing 10 meters of solar cells in a minute means good things for solar. (via Printable A3-sized solar cells hit a new milestone in green energy | Ars Technica)
