Flexible Solar Panel - The Increasing Star of Solar Cell Technologies3959764
The versatile solar panel is the increasing star of solar cell technologies. Manufactured primarily based on thin film technology and promising easy handling and installation this technology may have a bright future. These types of panels are extremely light, can be rolled up for transport and lend themselves to installation on irregular surfaces such as automobiles.
A flexible solar panel is usually produced with a roll-to-roll manufacturing process that deposits thin-film amorphous silicon at a thickness of 1 micrometer on thin sheets of stainless steel or other flexible substrate. The amorphous silicon is utilized to create the solar cell and the thin stainless steel backing allows the panel to be both flexible and durable. This type of manufacturing enables for greater feasible production rates when compared to other kinds of solar cell manufacturing.
The flexible solar panel manufacturing procedure is called roll-to-roll and has the potential to decrease the cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) of producing capacity when compared to standard rigid panels. The roll-to-roll manufacturing procedure whilst much more involved can be pictured like sheets of newspaper coming off of the printing press and being rolled up onto a spool. Then the preferred size of panel can be rolled out and cut from the spool of solar cells.
1 of numerous advantages of a versatile solar panel is the selection of shapes and sizes that it can be created in, permitting it to match nearly 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.
Common utilizes for a flexible solar panel are charging transportable 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 kinds of solar energy cells come in a selection of sizes to suit various device requirements and portability needs.
On a larger scale a flexible solar panel is used in arrays to generate electricity for houses and industrial buildings where their light weight creates much less stress on roofing systems. Being versatile they can effortlessly be rolled out on curved roofs or walls for easy installation. This function is particularly well suited for short-term installations exactly where easy setup and tear down is important such as outside events.
A versatile solar panel is inherently less efficient than a standard rigid panel. As a result much more square inches or square feet of versatile panel region is needed to generate the same quantity of electricity as a rigid panel. This disadvantage is often 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 full use of thin film technology to create solar cells each quickly and price-successfully. If they are in a position to improve the efficiencies of this kind of solar cell it will really turn out to be an all around competitor. Keep an eye out for subsequent stage of thin film technologies that will permit you to spray apply solar cell material to almost any surface.
