This article was posted by CrystalWind.ca.
Is this the Breakthrough that Finally Ends ‘Big Oil’ and Brings Solar Power to the World?
- Details
The days of bulky, expensive solar panels that were heavy and required harsh chemicals to produce and a lot of labor to install may be coming to an end. Scientists in Australia have been able to produce the largest ever printed solar cells using a newly developed solar cell printer. Yes, they are printing solar cells.
The cells are flexible, cheap, and made from organic plastics and materials.
According to scientist Dr Scott Watkins, printing cells on such a large scale opens up a huge range of possibilities for pilot applications:
“There are so many things we can do with cells this size[...]We can set them into advertising signage, powering lights and other interactive elements. We can even embed them into laptop cases to provide backup power for the machine inside.”
Dr. David Jones has a few more uses in mind:
“Eventually we see these being laminated to windows that line skyscrapers. By printing directly to materials like steel, we’ll also be able to embed cells onto roofing materials.”
These organic solar cells differ from conventional solar panels in that they are lighter, flexible, semi-transparent, and projected to be much cheaper.
The technology and manufacturing are still in the research phase, but scientists behind the project are hopeful for its future use for consumers. According to one of the project’s partners, CSIRO:
“The consortium is currently only purchasing materials on a research scale. When bought on a larger scale it is anticipated that component costs will be significantly lower and that pricing around A$1/W will be achievable.”
$1 per watt? Coupled with the lowered installation costs of this lighter system, that is utterly revolutionary. With these costs, a family would be able to cleanly power their home for only a few thousand dollars.
There is also an added benefit to printing solar cells over traditional manufacturing of solar panels: factories can be much smaller, therefore also much cheaper. This will allow for the production of these cells to be more decentralized making them more accessible in the developing world and the first world alike.
Is this the breakthrough that finally kills ‘Big Oil’ and brings solar power to the world? We think they are getting close.
Here’s a short video that explains these cells:
© CrystalWind.ca 2024. All content (articles, imagery, fair use) & design protected. Written permission required for copying. All rights reserved.
Join the Conversation Now! Comment Below!
Spirit Animal Totem Of The Day!
Crystal Of The Day!
Latest Articles
The Crystal Wind Oracle
Myth & Magic Card Deck!
Details Here!
NEW Expanded
Printed & Boxed!
Now with 58 cards!
CrystalWind.ca is free to use because of
donations from people like you.
Donate Now »
Unlock Your Light: Join Lightworkers Worldwide on CrystalWind.ca!
Follow Us!
Who is Online Now
We have 32891 guests and no members online
Featured This Month
The Time of No Time: Beltane!
Around the medicine wheel of life we go, from season to season (solstice to ... Read more
The Crystal Wind Oracle Card Deck
The Crystal Wind Oracle™ The Crystal Wind Oracle Myth & Magic Card D... Read more
Taurus Mythology
The Taurus Myth The Taurus myth is most often interpreted as the story of Z... Read more
Bright Beltane Blessings!
The wheel turns to Beltane, also known as Mayday, marking the beginning of S... Read more
Frogs Return Moon
Beaver – Chrysocolla - Blue Camas – Blue April 20 – May 20 The Frogs Retur... Read more
Cartomancy - Fortune Telling Using Playing C…
Cartomancy is the act of divining using cards. Divining means to find out by... Read more
The Seven Chakras and their Meanings
If you could imagine chakras as circles of energy, flowing all the way throu... Read more
Sun in Taurus
Sun in Taurus April 21 through May 21 An Overview of Sun Sign Characteristi... Read more