Solar cells produced by printing methods are about to come true

New solar panels are lighter, thinner and can be produced on a large scale at low prices.

New solar panels are lighter, thinner and can be produced on a large scale at low prices.

Many places like Australia are often 'bathed' in the sun but people are still not very interested in solar panels made from traditional silicon due to the high cost.

Picture 1 of Solar cells produced by printing methods are about to come true

But what if you could make this technology cheaper and be able to produce it on a larger scale? Some people believe that solar energy is the energy source of the future .

Paul Dastoor from Newcastle University, Australia and his team are in the final stages of testing for a solar panel solution that can be produced by printing method.

The University of Newcastle is one of three locations in the world to test production of solar panels by printing method, using electronic ink to conduct electricity. These solar panels can be printed on 'large-scale' machines, which means they can be used to deploy on a large scale.

Dastoor explained: "It is completely different from traditional solar cells. Previous solar panels were often large, heavy, wrapped in glass tens of millimeters thick. We Print new solar panels with a thickness of less than 0.1mm '.

Dastoor says that solar panels outperform older photovoltaic panels when they can operate with low light and save money (compared to using fossil fuels).

He said: 'One of the advantages of these materials is that they generate more electricity at low light levels than conventional PVs. We hope in the near future we will create cheaper energy than coal-fired power stations' .

Picture 2 of Solar cells produced by printing methods are about to come true

Dastoor hopes to be able to print new solar panels for $ 7.42 per square meter, less than Tesla's energy sheet ($ 315 per square meter). Currently, scientists are in the testing phase of the performance and durability of new materials.

He said: 'We put 100 square meters of new solar batteries on the roof and now we are testing material durability in real terms.'

These solar panels are printed primarily from PET - a substance used to make Coke bottles. Importantly, they can be recycled by melting and improving it.

Printed solar panels will be presented in Melbourne next week at a printing industry event called Pacprint. After that, Dastoor will work with some partners to put this product into practice.

Perhaps, soon we will have a cheap option when we want to install solar panels on the home machine.

Update 12 December 2018
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