Solar cell decked dresses make flexibility compatible with future

Aditi JustaFeb 18 2010

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have made a breakthrough by developing a way to make flexible solar cells that can be rolled and bent. Developed using silicon wires that require just 1 percent of the material needed to make conventional solar cells, these new solar cells could be used in clothing and other nontraditional applications.

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The new material is made using micron-sized silicon wires that are encased in a flexible polymer, giving the convenience to roll or bend it. Although the flexible and thin solar cells are less efficient than their stiff silicon counterparts, they promise cheaper solar panels that are easier to install. The Caltech scientists are not the only ones working on flexible solar cells. Scientists at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign are also working on flexible, inorganic solar panels. The researchers claim their solar panels are so flexible that they can easily be rolled around a pencil and transparent enough to be used to tint windows on buildings or vehicles.

Via: SmartPlanet

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