Stanford Group Successfully Fabricates ‘Peel and Stick’ Solar Cells

[ScienceRocks]

Stanford Group Successfully Fabricates ‘Peel and Stick’ Solar Cells

Stanford Group Successfully Fabricates ?Peel and Stick? Solar Cells | Singularity Hub

Might rigid solar panels like these soon be a thing of the past? Image Credit: Intel Free Press

In a December paper published in Nature’s preliminary research online publication, Scientific Reports, Stanford researchers announced a fabrication process that makes thin-film solar cell (TFSC) stickers. The resulting TFSCs are thinner and lighter than today’s solar panels. And according to the researchers these “peel-and-stick” solar cells can be stuck just about anywhere—no surface is too curvy or uneven.

The technology’s potential isn’t hard to see.

Installation costs would fall and available installation surfaces would rise. Roofs that couldn’t otherwise support heavy panels might accommodate super-light, ultra-thin solar sheets. Everyday items could sport solar stickers—cell phones, backpacks, coffee mugs. Small stickers could plug into and charge devices, bigger ones buildings.