Could be a game changer, imagine painting the entire body of an EV or a hybrid like this to charge the batteries. Or a roofing material for construction.
The guys working on ultra-thin inkjet solar panels are just doing fundamental research in chemistry. They are diving down a rabbit hole that doesn't provide any benefit I can see over existing technologies.
For example, these guys: https://www.abc.net.au/news/sc... [abc.net.au]
have had plastic roll-to-roll screen printed solar sheets for years.
Why would you use the inkjet system in BeauHD's article to slowly print solar cells when you can use mass-manufacture screen-printing techniques to print solar cells on plastic rolls in bulk, then cut them up later?
As far as I can see, the research in this story is a step backwards from existing technologies, and the reporter can only make it look good by ignoring everything that already exists.
Odd that the people in that article have a 2-3 year lifespan problem.
I did work c. 2004 for a company in MA that had organic roll-to-roll at higher efficiencies and longevity than that but it still wasn't commercially viable.
As far as I can see, the research in this story is a step backwards from existing technologies, and the reporter can only make it look good by ignoring everything that already exists.
Yes, this is fundamental research in chemistry, and, for solar power, does appear to be a dive gone down the rabbit hole. That's the reality for the vast majority of scientific research. For every game-changing, new and improved, commercially viable product or process resulting from any individual project, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of total failures. The difference here: these results are not a failure.
The fact they found a way to use " brittle and inflexible" indium tin oxide,
Searching on info from your link leads to one a year later: https://www.pv-magazine-austra... [pv-magazin...tralia.com] "Researchers at the University of Newcastle, in partnership with CHEP Australia, have entered into large-scale trials for solar panels printed from a conventional printing press."
The lead researcher: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/p... [newcastle.edu.au] "Currently in the final stages of perfecting the process of printing water-based solar paint, Professor Dastoor and his team of 30 researchers at the University of Newcastle's Centre of
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APL is a natural extension of assembler language programming;
...and is best for educational purposes. -- A. Perlis
Automotive use? (Score:3, Interesting)
Could be a game changer, imagine painting the entire body of an EV or a hybrid like this to charge the batteries. Or a roofing material for construction.
Not a game changer (Score:5, Informative)
For example, these guys: https://www.abc.net.au/news/sc... [abc.net.au] have had plastic roll-to-roll screen printed solar sheets for years.
Why would you use the inkjet system in BeauHD's article to slowly print solar cells when you can use mass-manufacture screen-printing techniques to print solar cells on plastic rolls in bulk, then cut them up later?
As far as I can see, the research in this story is a step backwards from existing technologies, and the reporter can only make it look good by ignoring everything that already exists.
Re: (Score:2)
Odd that the people in that article have a 2-3 year lifespan problem.
I did work c. 2004 for a company in MA that had organic roll-to-roll at higher efficiencies and longevity than that but it still wasn't commercially viable.
Oh, CISRO ... the quest for patent rents.
Re: (Score:2)
As far as I can see, the research in this story is a step backwards from existing technologies, and the reporter can only make it look good by ignoring everything that already exists.
Yes, this is fundamental research in chemistry, and, for solar power, does appear to be a dive gone down the rabbit hole. That's the reality for the vast majority of scientific research. For every game-changing, new and improved, commercially viable product or process resulting from any individual project, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of total failures. The difference here: these results are not a failure.
The fact they found a way to use " brittle and inflexible" indium tin oxide,
large-scale Aussie trials for printed solar panels (Score:2)
Searching on info from your link leads to one a year later: https://www.pv-magazine-austra... [pv-magazin...tralia.com]
"Researchers at the University of Newcastle, in partnership with CHEP Australia, have entered into large-scale trials for solar panels printed from a conventional printing press."
The lead researcher: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/p... [newcastle.edu.au]
"Currently in the final stages of perfecting the process of printing water-based solar paint, Professor Dastoor and his team of 30 researchers at the University of Newcastle's Centre of