If reliable, this news item from National Geographic News is very significant and could mark the
transition of solar energy from nice experiment to viable operational
alternative to fossil fuels.
Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that can turn the sun’s
power into electrical energy, even on a cloudy day. The plastic material uses nanotechnology and contains the first solar
cells able to harness the sun’s invisible, infrared rays. The
breakthrough has led theorists to predict that plastic solar cells
could one day become five times more efficient than current solar cell
technology.
Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used
as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power
a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogen-powered car painted
with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity
to continually recharge the car’s battery.
The researchers envision that one day “solar farms” consisting of the
plastic material could be rolled across deserts to generate enough
clean energy to supply the entire planet’s power needs.
“Flexible, roller-processed solar cells have the potential to turn the
sun’s power into a clean, green, convenient source of energy,” said
John Wolfe, a nanotechnology venture capital investor at Lux Capital
in New York City.
thin-film Si has been in production by roller mechanisms for several years now by Unisolar at least.
The real question is expected material and manufacturing costs. That’s why nothing but silicon is in MW-scale commercial production today – it’s relatively cheap compared to the other options desiged so far.
From the article:
“If we could cover 0.1 percent of the Earth’s surface with [very efficient] large-area solar cells,” he said, “we could in principle replace all of our energy habits with a source of power which is clean and renewable.”
It always makes me laugh when people refer to solar power as a “renewable” energy source. The sun is not renewable. It’ll eventually (in a very long time) go cold, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
When viewed from a long enough time scale no energy sources are ‘renewable’. If that makes you laugh, imagine the humor in finding someone who fails to recognize the implied context of “less than a billion years” when discussing how renewable an energy source is.
OK, so I cover 0.1 percent of my land with solar cells. If my lot is 30 x 30 meters then I only need to cover an area of 4.5 square meters. I think that’s comparable to the size of some cars. So if I merely cover my car, I’m doing my share.
But how much is 0.1 percent of a farm? That’s big.
The environmental impact statement of shading 0.1 percent of the planet should be interesting.