Solar panels that are 18 times more efficient and 100 times lighter than conventional solar panels have been developed.

Such solar panels can be attached to clothing, integrated into sails or even rolled up.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed ultra-thin, lightweight solar cells that outshine conventional solar panels in terms of performance. Smaller than a human hair, these durable, flexible pieces are bonded to a strong, lightweight fabric, making them easy to apply to any surface.

Scientists have succeeded in creating such ultra-thin and flexible devices, thanks to nanomaterials such as so-called electronic ink. Solar cells for batteries were a few microns thick. They were applied in liquid form on the thinnest base. I had to use a special printer for this. Next, the electrodes were screen-printed, after which the base was separated from the solar cells and a flexible solar-powered battery was obtained.

But the thinnest solar panel that emerged could easily tear, and then experts at MIT solved that problem with a special composite fabric known as Dyneema, which weighs just 13 grams per square metre. This fabric is made of very strong fibers. The solar modules were adhered to the fabric using the UV method, resulting in an ultra-light, durable design.

But after testing the resulting “solar tissue”, scientists awaited the most important discovery. It turns out that their development is capable of producing 730 watts per kilogram, which is about 18 times the power per kilogram of conventional solar panels.

The researchers are confident that their invention will help change the approach to achieving clean energy globally, as such lightweight solar panels can be placed on everything from clothing or car roofs to sails for yachts.

Now scientists are working to further improve the efficiency of their development and are trying to simplify the process of creating these miracle panels as much as possible so that they can receive their distribution as soon as possible.

Earlier, Focus wrote that the EU is actively starting to install solar panels, trying to get rid of as much as possible from its carbon history and gas supplies from Russia.

Source: Focus

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