USC Researchers Produce Flexible Next-gen Solar Cells

The smart folks over at the University of Southern California have come up with polymer sheets that can be used to create dense arrays of flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Such cells have previously been proposed as a method to achieve low cost energy due to their ease of manufacturing, not to mention being lightweight and its compatibility with flexible substrates. The downside is that such cells aren’t as efficient as silicon-based solar panels, as researchers estimate that OPVs are only able to generate 1.3W of clean power when a silicon-based solar panel can generate 14W of power under the same conditions. Of course, the low cost situation will certainly play a factor, and if they can be cheap enough to integrate into energy generating curtains or shirts, it’ll be incredibly useful.