Miniature PV Cells

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is on the verge of expanding into something really big… er… small.  Miniature PV cells are being developed to be used just about anywhere sunlight may strike – from fabric to windows to automobiles.

Thin film solar panels can truly offer solar energy to go!

They are so tiny and flexible, the hope is that they can be imprinted on just about anything.  As described in a recent New York Times article:

“The new technology is the work of a researcher and his colleagues who developed a way to print ultrathin, semitransparent and flexible cells on plastic, cloth and other materials. If the technology succeeds, it may provide the solar industry with alternatives to the fixed installations that are common today: cells may be printed on plastic rolls that could be unfurled for dozens of uses, or stamped onto fabric for T-shirts or other clothes that collect energy while worn.”

How thin film solar cells work

Researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign developed a technique by which to create ultra-thin solar cells only 1/10th the thickness of semi-conductor cells.  Semprius has licensed the technology and will begin a solar module pilot project in the next 12 months.  From its website:

Semprius is developing unique, patented technology that allows transfer printing of high performance semiconductors onto virtually any surface, including glass, flexible or rigid plastic, metal or other semiconductors.

Semprius technology offers an unparalleled ability to create novel devices and systems by liberating the semiconductor from its traditional rigid substrate. Very tiny circuits are efficiently and cost effectively transferred by the hundreds, and even thousands at a time.

The miniature PV cell technology is ground-breaking on a number of levels.  Its not only their thinness and flexibility that could change the solar panel market, but also their higher efficiency.  And… here’s the best part for most investors and consumers:  low cost.  By minimizing the thickness of solar cells, you reduce their expense.

The possibilities are endless: from windows to sun roofs (they are semi-transparent).  Any place the sun shines, you can be harnessing its power.

Perhaps in the next 5 years, we can say goodbye to the bulky PV solar panels and hello to sleek new miniature PV cells on a multitude of surfaces.