A thin-film solar technology that prints metallic, nanoparticle inks on huge rolls of aluminum foil promises to be more efficient and cost less than alternate thin-film methods. (Source: Nanosolar)
Thanks for the reply--I see your point. Yes, it would be interesting to find out, especially after these utility trials, if the material is adaptable to smaller panels for home use. Of course, it may take awhile before enough volumes occur in large-scale usage to bring down the material price. Or other factors may help bring down the price if that material is already in use in other industries.
Ann, it still would be interesting to see what I could do with that kind of material, since it might be easy to work with. Of course we did not hear much about just how durable it is, which may be the show-stopper. If the material was not excessivley expensive it may just be something very interesting to experiment with. There could be a lot of possibilities.
William, I also tend to buy commercial-grade equipment when possible, for the same reasons. And I also like to design and build my own stuff, although usually it's in the realm of non-metallic and non-electronic items like furniture, various wood structures, food, or clothing. My point here was that these panels are optimized for very large buildings, so are more applicable to a utility installation than an individual home, thus the rhetorical question.
I understand that the target market is huge utility arrays, but why wouldn't I want to make my own custom sized array for my own use? And as an engineer with a whole lot of experience in designing products to satisfy customers requirements, don't you think that I might be able to figure out my own requirements? In addition to all of that, almost without exception, products targeted for industrial applications are far more reliable than the current grade of trash presented to the general public. so it is certain that I could build a solar cell array far more durable than what I could buy, and have fun building it besides. Some of us engineers actually enjoy the design and build process, and find a good bit of pleasure in a project that functions well the very first time.
There are good arguments for why thin-film solar may eventually be less expensive overall than current PV solar, since its efficiencies tend to be higher. The main problem has been with expensive production methods, so cutting cost there could potentially cut overall costs. Nanosolar is not the only company to make a CIGS-type ink, or to print circuits on aluminum foil (although other circuits printed on foil are not usually used for solar cells). Since their panels are aimed at utility-sized installations, I doubt that they'll be available for sale to individuals anytime soon, or why an individual would want one.
Interesting discussion already here. The proof, of coure, will be in the production. When I can order these cells from one of the suppliers that advertise in Design News, and actually have the product arrive and function as advertised, then it will be a valid item. In the interim, press releases can keep stock prices up and keep investors coming. Oh Well!
were it actually true it would be a great step forwad, it almost sounds too good to be true, which in all probabi;ity is the case, given access to the realities of materials engineering.
Its amazing our nation permitts a disbarred lawyer without industrial, science, or military experience to guide us through these trying times, considering his directions are extremely questionable, exposing his inexperience to make sound decisions
Do you not question the lfe of the party when its based on a complex multielemental compound structure subjected to sun energy as an untested product ? Especially upon study of materials principles based on the very real resonanting frequencies of a multipart compounds, shown to have significantly shorter half lives as the number of elemental species increase. people in government do so without access to variables of subject matter they make opinions about---unfortunately our military suffers, which I wonder if their decisions predisposing variables are based on this treasonist activity, after watching them in actiion during the last 3 1/2 years, where their 300 czars micromanage the federal agencies who would normally overview and prevent its own destruction, were it not for mini czars, as affroamerica makes its bid to administer our nation, or destroy it in an effort to reallocate assets to the sub-culture, who double in numbers every 29 years while the other multicultural element of america have 1.9 children per family.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
The latest model of Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider autonomous, unmanned marine vehicle (UMV), the SV3, is reportedly the world's first hybrid wave- and solar-power-propelled unmanned ocean robot.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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