A solar panel development that’s taken decades to be perfected is a step closer to reality. Final trials of printed solar panels on sheets of plastic are being created at the University of Newcastle in the New South Wales Hunter region.
Taking advantage of conventional printing technology, electronic ink is printed onto clear plastic sheets with the finished product that are incredibly lightweight.
Professor Paul Dastoor, the creator of the printed solar said emerging technology is expected to shine in disaster-affected areas. The weight also means it’s well-suited to many developing countries. The weight difference from typical solar panels is really significant for the printed solar panels to be shipped to third world countries, but also in a lot of those places where structures that cannot withstand the weight of typical solar panels on the roof, thus this is a technology that they can really use.
The research team is presently collecting data about how well the solar cells are performing at a 100m2 trial site located at the university.