Solarmer Plastic Solar Panels
In Los Angeles, Solarmer Energy have just broken their own record in solar efficiency. Solarmer produce plastic solar cells as opposed to the common photovoltaic silicon bases solar cells. Their previous record was a 6.77% conversion of solar in to electricity and now they have increased that to 7.6%. This conversion is much lower than photovoltaic panels but the specific qualities of being made from plastic opens the door for many applications.
This material when made in to panels will be transparent and much much lighter than the more sturdy PV panels. Added quality of being flexible, means that the solar plastic can be integrated in small electronic devices like cell phones and audio players to make them virtually self powering. Future applications will include fabrics, from clothing to tent material.
The cost of these plastic solar panels will be much less than Silicon based panels and the flexibility will see them potentially become part of the building material of constructions. While on the small scale self powering devices is the obvious market, larger scale developments such as glass windows in office tower blocks could be an application. In fact practically any exposed surface area that receives sunlight could utilize flexible plastic solar panels to generate power.
Photovoltaic solar panels will not be replaced, they are still the best way to generate high amounts of electricity in a small area. Plastic solar should have a bright future in the coming years as it develops.
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