Versatile, Lightweight Printed Solar Sheets By University of Newcastle
Research team at University of Newcastle in Australia develops printed versatile, light-weight and affordable solar sheets
Images © University of Newcastle
Solar power harnessing has been one of the biggest boons of the renewable energy sector, owing to the ability to make it beneficial for even the smallest housing unit to large commercial and public spaces. While solar panels are generally considered heavy and time-consuming when it comes to installation, The University of Newcastle in Australia has lead a research to develop printed solar cells, that are lightweight, versatile as well as recyclable, using thin sheets of plastic and electronic ink.
The printed solar can be rapidly manufactured, deployed and inexpensively replaced if damaged. The versatility of the product makes it easy to integrate into structural materials, even vehicle skins, combat ensembles, tents etc.. The materials is similar in thickness and appearance to a chip packet, and is manufactured using conventional printers. A printed sheet of solar cells costs less than $10 a square metre, making it a very affordable option as compared to the traditional solar panels, and easy to produce.
Led by Physicist Professor Paul Dastoor from the Faculty of Science at the University, they are Australia’s only research groups capable of manufacturing printed solar in-house. The team has partnered with the global logistics company CHEP, a Brambles subsidiary in 2018, to install a 200-square-meter rooftop array of printed solar in just one day, making them one of the first research groups in the world to undertake a commercial-scale pilot of printed solar.Â
Read more about their work on the University website
Product Images
Product Video
4-Degree Drop from the City: How a Homegrown Forest Can Regulate Microclimate
Archiopteryx designs ’people tree house’ nurturing a coexistence between the humans and non-human inhabitants
Kéré Architecture coalesces architecture and heritage in the design of the Centre des Cultures et Spiritualités Ewés in Notsè, Togo
