Area wide deployment of solar cells soon reality?

[rtxoff]

[h=1]Scientists develop pioneering new spray-on solar cells[/h]

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/spray-on-solar-cells-1.392919

[Skyler4856]

Spray on Solar cells+Tesla=Profit

Here's another link that you may find interesting

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/07/11/solar-cell-efficiency-rises-30-singlet-fission/

Solar efficiency raised 30%

[vger]

I wonder how long it will be before we can paint our houses with solar... stuff?

[gooddog15]

I wonder how long it will be before we can paint our houses with solar... stuff?

that would be great for people with solar panels on their roofs, as it's becoming a safety hazard for firefighters trying to get access to attics in emergencies.

also this may become a major breakthrough for that solar-road things

Edited August 4, 2014 by gooddog15

[sndrtj]

that would be great for people with solar panels on their roofs, as it's becoming a safety hazard for firefighters trying to get access to attics in emergencies.

also this may become a major breakthrough for that solar-road things

Well, you can already get solar panels in the shape of roof tiles. That's already less of a hassle, I assume.

[gooddog15]

Well, you can already get solar panels in the shape of roof tiles. That's already less of a hassle, I assume.

really? they actually do have tile shaped solar panels? that's actually pretty cool

also, I was thinking of those large solar panels that they put on flat roofs. you know, the ones held up by metal supports that are bolted down

[Tommygun]

that would be great for people with solar panels on their roofs, as it's becoming a safety hazard for firefighters trying to get access to attics in emergencies.

also this may become a major breakthrough for that solar-road things

There are a lot of issues with putting solar panels on roofs, but I don't think you will see the industry stop using roofs for a very long time if ever.

Even if you create a new panel that is two or three times more efficient, where are you going to put it. If you place it on the walls, the angles are very steep relative to the sun, so you will get only a small faction of the power compared to the roof and you'll have a lot more problems with shading. If you make a drive way out of it then you can't park your car there without blocking the light.

I also wonder about electrical fire hazards of painting this onto the walls of a house. Solar panels are engineered, tested and standardized pretty well before going to market.

Every house is a little different. How will one house handle having hundreds of watts being generated on it's irregular surfaces compared to another house?

It's a nice technology development, but I don't think it will be revolutionary. Large commercial solar farms where they have plenty of land, but need to save on cost could use this though.

really? they actually do have tile shaped solar panels? that's actually pretty cool

also, I was thinking of those large solar panels that they put on flat roofs. you know, the ones held up by metal supports that are bolted down

Edit: I think that company may have gone out of business, but I'm not sure? From what I remember they also couldn't deliver nearly as much power as they claimed.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Tommygun

[vger]

How will one house handle having hundreds of watts being generated on it's irregular surfaces compared to another house?

It's a nice technology development, but I don't think it will be revolutionary. Large commercial solar farms where they have plenty of land, but need to save on cost could use this though.

I don't think we're implying that this would do away with solar roofing, only that going about it could go in a radically different direction. Just imagine if it became possible to paint your own solar panels? No need for fragile arrays. Just pick your surface, paint the thing in layers, and you're done. Yeah, I know that's a huge stretch, but I've seen 'EL paint' before that looks very similar to electroluminescent wire. Just brush it on a surface, connect wires to both ends of your brush stroke, and it sparks to life. Imagine if we could do that in reverse, and have the brush stroke be the power source.

[Tommygun]

Yes that type of paint already exist. I saw a demonstration of it 5 or 10 years ago.

It only developed small amounts of power though. I worry about larger more useable levels of power and then doing it as a field application on surfaces not originally designed for power production.

[vger]

Yes that type of paint already exist. I saw a demonstration of it 5 or 10 years ago. It only developed small amounts of power though. I worry about larger more useable levels of power and then doing it as a field application on surfaces not originally designed for power production.

I don't think there's a need to worry about that. If it happens, then it would surely get factored into building codes. In order to prevent fires (guessing that's your primary concern) than all you need is to apply an insulating base coat beforehand, and a protective clear topcoat. Compared to the solar layer, those would be a pretty simple thing to develop. I certainly still wouldn't recommend such a thing for road or walkways though. The only other thing I don't know about is what would happen if such a painted surface were damaged, such as by a falling tree.

[Seret]

really? they actually do have tile shaped solar panels? that's actually pretty cool

Yes, they're called solar slates. They're more expensive than normal panels, so generally only used when the local planning department are likely to get uppity about the aesthetic effect of tacking panels onto an existing roof. I looked at getting them at one point as I was re-roofing at the same time as installing my PV array, but they worked out much more expensive than the cost of a normal array and regular roof tiles.

[78stonewobble]

Some places sure... But my parents would be ruining their classical 1930's house with any of it.

[lajoswinkler]

Few years later, someone discovers it's causes pulmonary cancer.

The article is full of "could" and "might", so let's keep it real.

[rtxoff]

The University of Sheffield

With almost 25,000 of the brightest students from around 120 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world’s leading universities.

For me the word "could" from them weights a lot. It is definitely a proof for the technical feasibility. The only thing that can prevent this scenario are the socio-economic implications of the so called advanced civilization on our little planet.

[78stonewobble]

For me the word "could" from them weights a lot. It is definitely a proof for the technical feasibility. The only thing that can prevent this scenario are the socio-economic implications of the so called advanced civilization on our little planet.

That and any amount of respect for our cultural heritage.

New homes? Sure... Just don't destroy the old architecture with... well ... crap.

Might as well build dedicated spp's ... Where they aren't eye sores.

EDIT: And the article does not suggest any spraypainting of anything with solarcells. They are talking about using a spraypainting technique, in manufacturing part of a solarcell. It's really a discussion of manufacturing methods with cost and performance considerations.

Edited August 5, 2014 by 78stonewobble