Spray on solar cells.
FWIW.
spray on solar cells
spray on solar cells
molon labe
montani semper liberi
para fides paternae patria
montani semper liberi
para fides paternae patria
Sitting to my right is a box of 6" square monocrystaline solar cells, for a project I'm working on. Ordered straight from China. Some processes describe this type as being "printed" on foil. The cell itself is incredibly thin, comparable to a thin spray of paint on a thin aluminum sheet. The suckers can probably crank out four amps or more at around half a volt. For this small order I paid around $76 for around 40 watts, and in quantity you can get down to around a buck a watt.
I'm not up with the latest methods for these particular cells, but I know some methods these days involve silane gas, and the term "spraying" is not that far off. The modern ones are a huge departure from early cells, which were made by slicing whole 3" or 4" solid zone-refined silicon cylinders into wafers. The total silicon in each of these is a tiny fraction of an old 4". Plus they fit better in a panel.
I'm not up with the latest methods for these particular cells, but I know some methods these days involve silane gas, and the term "spraying" is not that far off. The modern ones are a huge departure from early cells, which were made by slicing whole 3" or 4" solid zone-refined silicon cylinders into wafers. The total silicon in each of these is a tiny fraction of an old 4". Plus they fit better in a panel.