A new photovoltaic material – a “solar carpet” – has been created in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has introduced an ultra-thin photovoltaic “paper” that can be applied to almost any surface.

The new solar material is thinner than a human hair and provides 18 times more energy per unit weight than conventional glass and silicon panels. It can be used where the weight of conventional solar installations can be a problem.

According to the developers, the “solar carpet” can even be used on boat sails, drone wings, tents, and hundreds of other applications. Solar film can be especially effective in rural areas or in remote areas where other forms of electricity generation or supply are not possible, including during disaster relief when the usual energy infrastructure has been damaged.

As the developers explain, the weight of silicon solar panels prevents solar energy from developing faster. There are other types of thin-film solar materials that are cheaper to produce and lighter than conventional panels, but they are also applied to sheets of glass, so they end up being just as heavy. However, reducing the weight of solar cells would make it easier to produce much larger panels, and would also make them much cheaper to install.

The few attempts to create ultra-thin solar cells on flexible plastic films have so far resulted in tiny experimental devices, fragile devices, or devices that do not demonstrate ideal practical performance.

The MIT researchers went by coating a plastic sheet with a layer of parylene just a few micrometers thick, which provides electrical insulation and protects against corrosion caused by moisture or chemicals. The team then placed a series of layers of solar cells on the parylene sheet using printed inks made from different materials. The entire structure is only two to three micrometers thick.

Next, the team applied the material to a strong, lightweight, commercially available fabric, which was then peeled off, transferring the solar modules to the fabric.

“The metrics used to evaluate a new solar cell technology are usually limited to its energy conversion efficiency and cost in dollars per watt. Equally important is the integrability – the ease with which a new technology can be adapted. Lightweight solar fabrics enable this integration, providing a boost to ongoing work. We are committed to accelerating the adoption of solar energy, given the urgent need for new carbon-free energy sources,” MIT said.

According to them, the technology has reached such a level of development that it can be scaled up for wider use.

The innovation can revolutionize the world of renewable energy, as the technology has great practical potential and allows generating electricity from a material that is only one hundredth the weight of standard solar power plants.