American Researchers develop DIY solar panels

Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) call the process “simple.”

The scientists from NJIT have developed a solar cell using a carbon nanotubes complex, which is a molecular configuration of carbon in a cylindrical shape. Scientists estimate nanotubes to be 50,000 times smaller than a human hair, but the new research suggests that just one nanotube can conduct current better than any conventional electrical wire.

The new do-it-yourself way of using solar power is said to be easy, and can be achieved by simply printing on some PC printers or paint- on plastic sheets.

The team’s lead researcher and author Somenath Mitra said:

“Someday homeowners will even be able to print sheets of these solar cells with inexpensive home-based inkjet printers. Consumers can then slap the finished product on a wall, roof or billboard to create their own power stations.”

One of the primary challenges of using renewable energy is cost.

Expensive, large-scale infrastructures such as windmills or dams are necessary to drive renewable energy sources, such as wind or hydroelectric power plants. Purified silicon, a core material for fabricating conventional solar cells is beyond the reach of most consumers.

“Developing organic solar cells from polymers, however, is a cheap and potentially simpler alternative,” said Mitra. “We foresee a great deal of interest in our work because solar cells can be inexpensively printed or simply painted on exterior building walls and/or roof tops.

“Imagine some day driving in your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is producing electricity to drive the engine. The opportunities are endless.”

Dana Gornitzki