Imagine being able to print your own solar cells!
Australian solar power scientists are getting closer to making commercially a cheaper and faster way to print solar cells onto plastic.
CSIRO senior researcher Fiona Scholes stated the uses of these printable solar cells, "iPad covers, laptop bags, skins of iPhone - not just for casing electronics but to collect some energy as well and power those electronics," Dr Scholes said.
The project consists of a collaboration with scientists from the CSIRO and the Melbourne and Monash universities who have been working on printing solar cells since 2007. The team developed A3 sized from coin-sized cells. The team used commercial printers that were modified to take solar ink.
Dr Scholes said "It's very cheap. The way in which it looks and works is quite different to conventional silicon rooftop solar," she said. "It can be made to be semitransparent - we can use it for a tinted window scenario." Any plastic surface could be substituted for solar panels. The team is now working on a solar spray coating.
"We would like to improve the efficiency of solar panels - we need to develop solar inks to generate more energy from sunlight," Dr Scholes said.
"We are confident we can push the technology further in the years to come," she said.
Information sources from ABC News .