Fresh technology bolsters solar advancements

New materials and fresh thinking in solar technology are helping fuel the increases in solar efficiency. Creative ingenuity in solar technology is driving the increased use of solar panels all over the world. The energy-generating potential of solar panels is due to what they’re made of. But limitations exist also. Silicon panels are declining in price so much that in some locations they can produce electricity that costs almost the same as power from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. However, silicon solar panels are also bulky and brittle, so they can’t be used in every location. New technologies utilize thinner, more pliable materials that hold great promise for solar applications.

Solar produces vital power for urban and rural locations

Many parts of the world do not enjoy the relatively uninterrupted nature of power generation that we experience in the United States.  In some of these areas, solar panels can provide electric light after dark and energy to pump drinking water, help power small household devices or village-based businesses. However, the fragility, weight, and transportation difficulties of silicon solar panels suggest that silicon may not be the ideal material for constructing solar panels.

Inventors are working to develop flexible solar panels, which would be as efficient as a silicon panel, but would be thinner, lightweight, and pliable. This kind of device, which we call a “solar tarp,” could be spread out to the size of an entire room and generate electricity from the sun. Some creative types are trying to make organic solar cells more flexible by making them ultra-thin. However, real durability requires a molecular structure that makes the solar panels stretchable and tough.

Silicon is a material in superabundance on earth

Silicon comes from sand, which makes it extremely plentiful and inexpensive.  The way its atoms pack in a solid material makes it a good semiconductor. This means its conductivity can be switched on and off using electric fields or light. Because it’s inexpensive, silicon is the basis for the microchips and circuit boards in computers, mobile phones, and basically all other electronics. The microchips transmit electrical signals from one component to another. Silicon is also the key to solar panels because it converts the energy from light into positive and negative charges. But its chemical properties also mean it can’t be turned into flexible electronics. Silicon doesn’t process light particularly efficiently. Photons pass right through a silicon panel that’s too thin, so they have to be fairly thick — around 100 micrometers, about the thickness of a dollar bill — so that less of the light is wasted.

Solar energy is only a step away!

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.