Versatile Solar Panel - The Rising Star of Solar Cell Technology6930386
The flexible solar panel is the rising star of solar cell technologies. Manufactured based on thin film technologies and promising easy handling and installation this technology might have a bright future. These kinds of panels are extremely light, can be rolled up for transport and lend themselves to installation on irregular surfaces such as automobiles.
A versatile solar panel is typically produced with a roll-to-roll manufacturing procedure that deposits thin-film amorphous silicon at a thickness of one micrometer on thin sheets of stainless steel or other flexible substrate. The amorphous silicon is utilized to produce the solar cell and the thin stainless steel backing allows the panel to be both flexible and durable. This kind of manufacturing allows for higher possible production rates when compared to other types of solar cell manufacturing.
The flexible solar panel manufacturing process is called roll-to-roll and has the possible to reduce the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) of producing capacity when compared to standard rigid panels. The roll-to-roll manufacturing process while more involved can be pictured like sheets of newspaper coming off of the printing press and becoming rolled up onto a spool. Then the preferred size of panel can be rolled out and cut from the spool of solar cells.
One of numerous benefits of a flexible solar panel is the variety of shapes and sizes that it can be produced in, allowing it to fit almost anywhere. An additional benefit is light weight portability and simple to carry shapes. Since a flexible solar cell can be rolled up like a magazine or newspaper it presents a much more handy shape for storage and transport.
Typical uses for a flexible solar panel are charging portable device batteries like laptops, cell phones and mp3 players. You can even roll a panel out on a sunny rock and use it to recharge your gps batteries whilst you are out hiking. These types of solar energy cells come in a variety of sizes to suit different device specifications and portability requirements.
On a bigger scale a versatile solar panel is used in arrays to produce electrical energy for houses and industrial buildings exactly where their light weight creates much less stress on roofing systems. Becoming versatile they can easily be rolled out on curved roofs or walls for easy installation. This function is especially nicely suited for temporary installations exactly where simple setup and tear down is essential such as outside events.
A versatile solar panel is inherently less effective than a standard rigid panel. As a result much more square inches or square feet of flexible panel region is needed to generate the exact same amount of electricity as a rigid panel. This disadvantage is frequently offset by the require for lightweight and portable panels in specific applications.
Creating a flexible solar panel has served to revolutionize the industry. Manufactures are making complete use of thin film technology to produce solar cells both rapidly and price-effectively. If they are able to enhance the efficiencies of this type of solar cell it will really turn out to be an all around competitor. Maintain an eye out for next stage of thin film technologies that will permit you to spray apply solar cell material to nearly any surface.
