Flexible Solar Panel - The Increasing Star of Solar Cell Technology2361419
The flexible solar panel is the increasing star of solar cell technologies. Manufactured primarily based on thin film technology and promising simple handling and installation this technology might have a vibrant 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 made with a roll-to-roll manufacturing process 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 used to create the solar cell and the thin stainless steel backing allows the panel to be both versatile and durable. This kind of manufacturing enables for greater feasible production prices when compared to other types of solar cell manufacturing.
The versatile solar panel manufacturing process is known as roll-to-roll and has the possible to decrease the cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) of generating 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 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 versatile solar panel is the selection of shapes and sizes that it can be created in, allowing it to fit almost anyplace. Another advantage is light weight portability and easy to carry shapes. Because a flexible solar cell can be rolled up like a magazine or newspaper it presents a much more convenient shape for storage and transport.
Common uses for a versatile 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 power cells come in a variety of sizes to suit different device requirements and portability requirements.
On a larger scale a versatile solar panel is utilized in arrays to generate electricity for houses and industrial buildings exactly where their light weight creates much less tension on roofing systems. Becoming flexible they can effortlessly be rolled out on curved roofs or walls for easy installation. This function is particularly nicely suited for short-term installations exactly where easy setup and tear down is important such as outside events.
A versatile solar panel is inherently much less effective than a regular rigid panel. As a result much more square inches or square feet of versatile panel area is needed to produce the exact same quantity of electricity as a rigid panel. This disadvantage is frequently offset by the need for lightweight and transportable panels in particular applications.
Developing a versatile solar panel has served to revolutionize the business. Manufactures are making full use of thin film technology to create solar cells each rapidly and price-successfully. If they are able to improve the efficiencies of this type of solar cell it will really turn out to be an all around competitor. Keep an eye out for next stage of thin film technologies that will allow you to spray apply solar cell material to nearly any surface.
