Plastic Solar Cells Could Change Future

Solarmer Energy Inc. is currently working on plastic solar cells that will see action in portable electronic devices if it takes off successfully. A prototype has already seen action, with a cell measuring eight square inches (50 square centimeters) that can hit 8% efficiency with a lifetime of three years at the very least. This plastic solar cell relies on a new semiconducting material known as PTB1 and will convert sunlight into electricity just like your standard solar cell. It will take much more engineering work to turn it into a viable commercial product, but we believe once that is achieved, the costs of solar power panels will drop drastically and there will be a new breed of devices that no longer require batteries as juice stored from the sun throughout the day is more than enough to keep the device running till dawn breaks.