For many eco-conscious consumers, the huge drawback to adopting greener energy solutions is the crippling expense. But as is the case with most things, prices tend to go down with time. If you’re a big fan of solar power, but aren’t convinced by expensive, clunky solar panels, there’s a new option just for you option: print your own on an inkjet! Konarka Technologies has just debuted a printable solar panel film that uses your inkjet printer to manufacture paper-thin photovoltaic solar cells. Using the existing and very simple technologies of your inkjet printer, Konarka has essentially replaced ink cartridges with solar cell material, and paper with a thin flexible sheet of plastic.
According to the company, the process creates solar cells which are almost as good as the massive silicon ones, created with much more advanced technologies. However, these inkjet babies are much much cheaper. “Demonstrating the use of inkjet printing technology as a fabrication tool for highly efficient solar cells and sensors with small area requirements is a major milestone,” stated Rick Hess, president and CEO at Konarka. Unfortunately we probably won’t be seeing the “do-it-yourself inkjet-solar-panel” option flying off the shelves just yet, as it’s currently only feasible for large productions of solar cells. However, it does mean that if the uptake of this technology happens relatively quickly, we could be seeing more affordable solar alternatives in the near future.
