Flexible Solar Panels

A startup in Toledo, Ohio was the first to develop a method to make large, flexible solar panels. These lightweight, supple sheets can be incorporated effortlessly onto roofs and the front walls of buildings, or on vehicles, as compared to conventional silicon solar panels. So, how can you choose the best flexible solar panels for your home or business? Here’s how you can avoid wasting your money:
 

1. Look into flexible solar panels that can be painted or printed on plastic sheets
Sooner or later homeowners will even be able to print sheets of these solar cells with cheap home-based inkjet printers. Picture one day driving your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is producing solar power to drive the engine. Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a solar cell that uses a carbon nanotubes complex, which is a molecular configuration of carbon in a cylindrical shape. Nanotubes are about 50,000 times smaller than a human hair, and just one nanotube can conduct electricity better than any electrical wire.
 

2. Research other methods of producing flexible solar panels
The University of Delaware has also been working on a process to deliver flexible solar panels: theirs facilitates the production of the solar cells in long sheets using roll-to-roll reactors, much like newsprint speeding through a press. This system allows extremely high production at a low cost. It also provides for lightweight and flexible solar panels that can find attention in the space, military and recreational markets. Setting up a flexible solar panel for use involves nothing more than unfolding or unrolling the panel and placing it in the sunlight. There are a number of accessories to choose from according to your particular needs that will make connecting your panels fast and easy. These panels can be used in a broad range of applications including charging marine and RV batteries, cell phones and laptops.