Bendable Solar Cell

Advanced Battery Technology, Nov 2003

Showa Denko KK has developed lightweight, flexible, resin-based solar panels that can be bent and affixed to a wide range of places, reports The Nikkei Weekly.

The solar panel is produced by spraying or brushing a power-generating substance on soft resin material, the surface of which is then sealed with a thin layer of plastic. Electrodes are attached to both ends of the product. The materials used are different from those used in silicon-based solar panels for calculators and rooftops.

The plastic solar panels can be sewn into such items as bags or clothes to power cellular phones, or attached to tents to power lights. It can also be applied to the entire surface of a laptop computer or window blinds.

The power-generating efficiency of the plastic panel is about 4%, or roughly one-fifth that of silicon panels, but is sufficient for such functions as recharging cell phones, since a sheet of paper-sized panels generates 3-4 watts. Standard spray technology can be used to mass-produce the panels, so they can be supplied at about one-tenth the cost of the silicon version, company officials said.

The development of a soft plastic-based product had been seen as difficult because a high-temperature treatment is used to produce solar panel material. Showa Denko was able to adjust the compounds in the material, to produce panels using a low-temperature treatment.

For info, visit http://www.sdk.co.jp/index_e.htm.>

Copyright Seven Mountains Scientific, Inc. Nov 2003

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