Print flexible solar cells

摘要： Conventional silicon solar cells account for more than 90% of global production, yet making them uses energy equivalent to about 10% of their lifetime output. The future of solar energy depends on a union of new and old technologies. If photovoltaic (PV) devices that turn light into electricity could be mass produced with printing presses, as if they were newspapers or banknotes, they could be affordable and ubiquitous. Conventional, silicon-based, solar panels are rigid and bulky. Small, thin and flexible PV devices on films are already being made that are lightweight and translucent. These use little material and can generate electricity in low light, even indoors. Integrating them into phones and watches, as well as walls and windows, would transform the world’s energy generation, reduce pollution and mitigate climate change.