Australian solar power scientists have developed a cheap and fast way to print solar cells onto plastic — plastic that can be used to cover an iPad or tint the windows covering a skyscraper.
Using organic solar ink and a new printer, a consortium of scientists from Australian universities can now print solar collectors onto flexible pages of PET plastic 16 inches long by 12 inches wide.
“It’s very cheap. The way in which it looks and works is quite different to conventional silicon rooftop solar,” said senior research scientist Dr Fiona Scholes. “Connecting our solar panels is as simple as connecting a battery.”
(READ the story and watch video at ABC.net or WATCH the Consortium’s video below)
Photo courtesy of CSIRO