How Close To Real is Solar-Paint?: Solar Energy: Eco20/20

How Close To Real is Solar-Paint?

If you're not old enough to remember the car phones that appeared a few years before the first brick-thick cell phones hit the scene, if you never owned a tube TV, or if you're simply not fossil enough to marvel at the micro-miniaturization of absolutely everything; you probably don't see solar paint as a big-deal topic. But for anyone who stood in line to buy an Atari and took it straight home to play "Pong", the question rises very naturally. It isn't science fiction?

Younglings: don't be so quick to roll your eyes at the folks who dreamed up, and occasionally still dream about, the technology that is sweeping the world today. If it hadn't been a dream back then, you might not be seeing it now. In fact, this particular technology still has one foot in the dream-state.

Solar Paint Contenders: *UK:

Tata Steel Europe (London) and Swansea University (Wales) have developed a photovoltaic coating for sheet-steel that is hot on the path of stimulating a whole new solar-power industry. Research conducted at Swansea University - on how sunlight interacts with and degrades paint - led to the development of photovoltaic materials that can be imbedded in nearly the same way paint is when steel sheets are coated during their manufacture. Warehouses, offices, homes, parking garages and other buildings could be roofed with light-sensitive steel sheets at a much lower cost than conventional solar panels.

o Tata Steel and Dyesol Ltd of Australia has announced the advance of the steel paneling product into a "pre-industrial stage". They are also using dye solar materials in more conventional-looking glass plate panels.

o One of the most exciting features of a photovoltaic dye finish is its efficiency in shaded conditions. Since this dye solar technology performs better under low-light applications than conventional solar panels, the development of this product will mean eco-friendly businesses and homeowners in cloudy climates will experience a more reliable production of power in addition to a reduced investment for generating private electricity.

*USA:

Meanwhile, at the University of Texas, a nanomaterials team is striving to invent affordable nanocrystal inks that can be "printed" onto a flexible base material. This team's product is currently made of copper, indium, gallium and selenide suspended in a solvent, but they are casting around for more common ingredients. Their ink will be sprayed onto plastic, glass, fabric or metal.

o The University of Texas team anticipates their product will eventually take form as a roofing tile akin to a shingle; they'd like to produce something that could be sold at a hardware store; but, so far, the conversion efficiency of the material they've created is still below the 10% goal they've set.

So it seems the answer to the question is: Solar paint is fast approaching, but it's still a half step away from the reality of a box to carry it home in; and you won't be needing a brush, it will come pre-applied to a panel.

Solar Articles

For more Information on a Solar System
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name* First Name*
Last Name* Last Name*
E-mail Address* E-mail Address*
Street Address
City* City*
State/Prov* State/Prov*
Zip/Postal Code* Zip/Postal Code*
Country* Country*
Home Phone* Home Phone*
Business Phone

Please enter the word that you see below.

Amazon.com Widgets

Back to our Home Page

[ ?] Subscribe To
This Site

Top of How Close To Real is Solar-Paint?