Information Regarding Flexible Solar Panel

Posted by star8australia on July 28th, 2014

“ Flexible Solar Panels “ are the new breed in Solar Power harvesting, with its unique design and power-harvesting capabilities.

Flexible Solar Panels were developed based on the research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in association with National Science Foundation wherein solar cells are manufactured by depositing photovoltaic cells on ordinary fabric, paper or light weight polymer films substrate. This was found quite flexible without losing its conductivity hence allows new applications for the proven technology of silicon cells.

The choice of the right materials and their thickness will give the right balance for protection of the photovoltaic cells and this helps in creation of flexible solar panel for variety of surfaces especially for the marine boats. Since the surface of the boats and yachts has curved surfaces, over the years the popularity of flexible solar in Melbourne has increased considerably, as they can be easily fixed with adhesives or Velcro.

The use of alternative energy is a necessity to be used in ocean going vessels such as yachts and boats for which flexible solar panels are an effective and useful choice as they take less space, they are quiet and less vulnerable.

The active surface of the panels, the conversion efficiency of solar energy into electrical energy, shading etc. contribute to the actual amount of energy produced. Considering the above, for the on board installation of the panel in yachts and boats it would be more suitable to have flexible solar panels which are more adaptable, lighter and safer. These can be walked upon and when the weather is not conducive to use them, they can be rolled or folded and stored indoors.

The availability of this flexible solar system in Melbourne has helped reduce environment pollution as people refrain from using conventional sources of energy which can be polluting, and can also affect the marine life. The flexible solar panels can be used instead of motors, as it provides power silently and is an alternative to noisy generators. It ensures charging of the expensive batteries even when there is no one in the boat. They can also assist in running the equipments like fridge, security systems, alarms and automatic lights in working condition.

The flexible solar panels are made from the following options :

1. The amorphous silicon (a-Si) directly fixed to a flexible substrate. The maximum yield is around 9%.

2. The diselinium copper (CIS), an alloy of indium, selenium and copper. It is thin and provides a yield of 10 to 12%

3. Cadmium telluride (CdTe), a semiconductor material which is very thin and is complemented by a layer of Cadmium sulfide (Cds). This offers a yield of 10 to 12%.

4. The Organic Polymer (OPV)-photovoltaic cells with one or more layers of organic material. This offers a promising and economic performance in the future.

The process of cost of printing solar cells is quite inexpensive and not complicated and comparable to that of potato chip bag liners. Further there is a drastic reduction in the materials by using printable solar cells. Since paper, fabric or light weight polymer films substrates are used the installation cost is much reduced as against using glass panels.

As the technology improves and research is on, solar companies in Melbourne are enabling these panels to be used as window panes generating electricity from lighting. They can be manufactured on clothing which can help energize mobile phones and such other gadgets. For outdoor use the panels can be quoted with standard lamination material to protect it from the external elements. Thin film flexible solar panels have been widely accepted as a good means of harvesting solar energy.