Solar Cells Can Be Printed On Fabric

Researchers at MIT have discovered a method for printing photovoltaic cells on common materials such as paper and fabrics. The most amazing part is that the printing process is surprisingly similar to printing a picture on a home printer. MIT reports that the new technology should make the printing of solar cells as cheap and easy as using the average inkjet printer.

“The sheet of paper looks like any other document that might have just come spitting out of an office printer, with an array of colored rectangles printed over much of its surface. But then a researcher picks it up, clips a couple of wires to one end, and shines a light on the paper. Instantly an LCD clock display at the other end of the wires starts to display the time,” reports MIT news.

If a technology like this made its way into homes, it could dramatically change the average person’s access to alternative energy sources. The paper solar cells can even be folded without breaking the cells. The new technology uses vapors instead of liquids to print onto the material. The printer operates at a cooler temperature than conventional printers and the printing actually takes place in a vacuum chamber.

One of the most unique proposed applications for this new solar cell technology is in the fashion world. Cells could potentially be printed on fabric and incorporated into clothing and accessories. It is already popular to add solar cells onto bags and backpacks, but now those still solar cells could be replaced with even lighter and more flexible versions. The potential for these new printable cells is limited only by the imagination.

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