In the scheme of things, the appeal of switching to solar power is obvious: cleaner power, less waste, and an option that’s definitely easier on your wallet in the long run. But since the first commercially viable solar panels were made available to the public, the speed of technological advance has made some of them obsolete. The second generation of solar cell technology, and now the third generation, has resulted in higher efficiency, easier installation, and higher cost effectiveness.
The development of flexible solar panels in particular has served to revolutionize the industry. Most conventional solar panel arrays are rigid, often encased to protect individual crystalline silicon cells from erosive elements such as wind and rain. They are also usually mounted in a rack, either on the wall of a building or on a ceiling. Of course, they can be built into the wall or ceiling, which is an expensive exercise unless they are included in the building construction plans.
However, flexible solar panel technology now allows solar panels to be printed directly onto the material and literally roll off the assembly line, like a sheet of newspaper at a print shop. This development has been hailed as one of the most significant advances in recent years. While this has already been achieved in small measures (sun striping on calculators is a prime example of this technology), it hasn’t been available on this scale until relatively recently.
Flexible solar panels make full use of thin-film technology, which sees light-absorbing materials coated onto supporting substrates like glass, plastic, and ceramics. Various materials are used, but the most successful to date are cadmium thuride (CdTe) and amorphous silicon. Materials are coated onto surfaces through new processes, such as vapor deposition or electroplating, manufacturing techniques that also reduce the cost of production.
However, the real advantage of flexible solar panels is the variety of shapes and sizes in which they can be produced, allowing them to fit anywhere. Traditionally, a solar panel is square or rectangular, but since the technology is coated onto a surface, the surface itself can be any shape. It can be anything from square panels on the roof of a car to circular panels inside a wheel. Experts agree that this is one of the most exciting aspects of the development.
Flexible solar panels can also be printed in a roll-to-roll technique which further reduces costs and increases the production rate. They are also available in laminated form, which allows them to “stick” to surfaces and then connect to appliances or systems to power them. It makes installing the solar power system even less expensive.
However, the main disadvantage of the flexible solar panel is that its efficiency is much lower than conventional rigid panels. While rigid silicon panels can achieve up to 20 percent efficiency in sunlight conversion, flexible panels can achieve less than 10 percent.
What is important to you, the consumer, is whether or not this technology can benefit you and further reduce your home energy bills. The fact is that for a decent solar panel system for your home or business you will have to pay tens of thousands of dollars, and while this will prove to be a smart investment over time, immediate capital can be hard to come by. Flexible solar panels promise such cost reduction that raising capital should no longer be a big problem.
Solar technology is advancing rapidly and there is no doubt that in a few years the standard for solar energy systems will be flexible solar panels, which anyone can extend on their roof or along the wall of their house, if they choose. want.
There’s no doubt that over time, the efficiency rates of flexible solar panels will improve tremendously, saving you money, but for now, the promise of the technology is exciting enough.
