Flexible Solar Panel - The Rising Star of Solar Cell Technologies4147796
The flexible solar panel is the rising star of solar cell technology. Manufactured primarily based on thin film technology and promising simple handling and installation this technologies may have a vibrant future. These kinds of panels are extremely light, can be rolled up for transport and lend themselves to installation on irregular surfaces such as automobiles.
A flexible solar panel is typically made with a roll-to-roll manufacturing process that deposits thin-film amorphous silicon at a thickness of 1 micrometer on thin sheets of stainless steel or other flexible substrate. The amorphous silicon is utilized to create the solar cell and the thin stainless steel backing allows the panel to be both flexible and durable. This type of manufacturing allows for greater feasible production rates when compared to other kinds of solar cell manufacturing.
The flexible solar panel manufacturing process is known as roll-to-roll and has the potential to reduce the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) of generating capacity when compared to standard rigid panels. The roll-to-roll manufacturing process whilst much more involved can be pictured like sheets of newspaper coming off of the printing press and being rolled up onto a spool. Then the desired size of panel can be rolled out and cut from the spool of solar cells.
One of many advantages of a versatile solar panel is the variety of shapes and sizes that it can be created in, permitting it to fit almost anyplace. An additional benefit is light weight portability and simple to carry shapes. Because a versatile solar cell can be rolled up like a magazine or newspaper it presents a much more handy shape for storage and transport.
Common uses for a versatile solar panel are charging portable device batteries like laptops, cell phones and mp3 players. You can even roll a panel out on a sunny rock and use it to recharge your gps batteries while you are out hiking. These kinds of solar energy cells come in a selection of sizes to suit different device specifications and portability requirements.
On a bigger scale a versatile solar panel is utilized in arrays to generate electricity for homes and industrial buildings exactly where their light weight creates much less stress on roofing systems. Becoming flexible they can effortlessly be rolled out on curved roofs or walls for simple installation. This feature is especially nicely suited for short-term installations exactly where easy setup and tear down is essential such as outside events.
A flexible solar panel is inherently much less effective than a standard rigid panel. As a outcome more square inches or square feet of flexible panel area is needed to produce the exact same quantity of electricity as a rigid panel. This disadvantage is frequently offset by the need for lightweight and transportable panels in particular applications.
Creating a versatile solar panel has served to revolutionize the business. Manufactures are creating complete use of thin film technologies to produce solar cells each quickly and cost-successfully. If they are able to improve the efficiencies of this kind of solar cell it will truly turn out to be an all around competitor. Maintain an eye out for subsequent stage of thin film technology that will permit you to spray apply solar cell material to almost any surface.
