MIT Makes a Super Thin Solar Cell That Can Turn Any Surface into a Power Plant

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Күн бұрын

MIT engineers have achieved a significant advancement in solar technology by creating an ultralight fabric solar cell. These cells, much thinner than a human hair and weighing only one-hundredth the weight of standard solar panels, can transform almost any surface into a power source. Remarkably, they produce 18 times more power-per-kilogram compared to traditional solar panels due to the use of semiconducting inks and scalable printing processes.
The new generation of these solar cells is produced using electronic inks and are entirely printable. They are constructed using a slot-die coater to deposit nanomaterial layers onto a 3-micron thick substrate. The final solar module, after adding an electrode through screen printing, is about 15 microns thick. However, these modules are fragile, leading MIT to use Dyneema, a super-strong fabric, as a substrate. Adhering the solar cells to Dyneema with UV-curable glue results in a durable, lightweight solar structure.
In tests, these cells on Dyneema generated about 370 watts-per-kilogram, 18 times more than conventional solar cells. Their lightweight nature implies a smaller ecological footprint compared to traditional solar panels, reducing solar waste. Moreover, they maintained over 90% of their power generation capability after being rolled and unrolled 500 times. Challenges remain in protecting them from environmental damage, and the team is exploring ultrathin packaging solutions.
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Пікірлер: 75

@khajansingh6184 9 ай бұрын

It's a great descovery in solar industries.✌️👏👏

@Fightdog 9 ай бұрын

Now if MIT can keep the Chinese from stealing this IP it would be great.

@abc-coleaks-info3180 9 ай бұрын

If the government gets the patent, it will give it to the DOE and they will freely give it to the CCP. One of their deputy directors reported that all their patents go to China.

@abdishakur9103 9 ай бұрын

It is important for emission reduction and benefits all humanity, nationalism will kill you

@jiggyv6139 9 ай бұрын

😂😂😂😂 facts

@reapertown9267 9 ай бұрын

If they were ever made it would be on China and shipped back to the US 😭 that's how manufacturing works for something without massive backing😊

@abc-coleaks-info3180 9 ай бұрын

@@reapertown9267 Including a battery technology more advanced and safer them lithium. We did I pull back the patent that would have allowed them to market it. That didn’t keep them from using the technology though.

@Damm_Santa 9 ай бұрын

nice. Just hope to make it into the market. a lot of this proyects just get as good Ideas.

@faisal-ca 9 ай бұрын

Developing something in labs and doing mass production on it efficiently are two different things. We have seen many successful experiments that have yet to make it to the market.

@nickwisniewski4654 9 ай бұрын

What about the power per square metre? That's also crazy important

@shoebbinwahid637 9 ай бұрын

Im proud to be a engineer 🙂

@DanielSMatthews 9 ай бұрын

OK then do the maths on this: Solar power tech is amazing, but running a civilisation on it is suicidal because they will not work very well during the next volcanic winter, and that really is just a matter of when and not if it will happen. +2 years of winter level sunlight even in the height of summer (far worse in actual winter) will see a great reduction in electricity generation right when there is a large spike in demand to deal with the cold and to raise food crops using LED lighting in heated green houses. Billions of people will be at risk of death from the cold or starvation as the entire global food production system collapses. This is not speculation, it is 100% guaranteed to happen, we just don't know how to predict the timing, or how to stop it, so all we can do is adapt now by maximising the use of all forms of nuclear power which will actually become more efficient in colder weather.

@SDFNI3894YR 9 ай бұрын

@@DanielSMatthews you are not taking into account the enormous amount of surplus energy that will be generated if this is true. then that surplus can be stored as in gravity battery or water battery. plus your fearful concept of volcanic apocalypse has been for around 1000 years. nothing happened. so chill.

@reapertown9267 9 ай бұрын

@@DanielSMatthewswhat solar is often mixed with wind and battery storage to make it work year round. In the case of winter they have systems that self clean with heat and scrubs. Plus electricity is ran through multiple city's at once. So if one powerplant dies another from another town takes over

@DanielSMatthews 9 ай бұрын

@@reapertown9267 LOL, I was serious, actually do the maths, and clearly you didn't. You are in for a slow, cold, and hungry death if you don't wake up and make your power sources more resilient.

@GOLD_FEVER 9 ай бұрын

@@DanielSMatthews It's guaranteed to happen. ... IN the next million years or so lol. That's the part you don't mention...

@AnonymousOmniscience 9 ай бұрын

3:16 This is untrue, regular old solar panels can be recycled.

@IsaacSchultz Ай бұрын

Ive been waiting and saying "i dont believe solar is near what it could be, and im not buying into it until it gets better." I think soon ill be more enthusiastic, i was worried id never see the day considering Moores Law, but i am hopeful again due to this.

@IndigoBassNotes 9 ай бұрын

The new paint job on your 2029 Camry charges your car while its parked at work...on a sunny day.

@saeidjvd1317 9 ай бұрын

18 times more powerful than a traditional panel. That is amazing when it goes for manufacturing.

@himanshuk177 9 ай бұрын

Power per kg, there's a catch.

@henrykzajac4129 9 ай бұрын

It is Perovskite base solar cell, main problem lifertime +- 1 year. It is nothing new it was published on the subject since 2009. Few factories in Europe already built and working on few projects with building facades. Anyway good work MIT, maybe you can expand the lifetime.....

@---...---...---...---... 9 ай бұрын

No cost efficient energy storage and metallic no room temperature superconductor means increasing renewables will just lead to power outages.

@wongedan6231 3 ай бұрын

I hope it goes like that in Indonesia... clean energy

@fitztastico 9 ай бұрын

Watts per kg seems like a pretty deceptive variable to use for comparison. It leads me to believe they an appreciably lower power collection rating based on surface area, which as a potential user, is my main constraint. I guess that's why the use case scenarios are for tents, clothes, and stickers and not rooftops

@Daikini0 9 ай бұрын

It will be expensive for that. ~30 USD is for the material only, excluding the printing, and all the processes. If we estimate only 45 USD for sq meter, and check the material (~35 gramms/sq meter), it means good 30 sq meters produce 370W, for the price of USD 1300, regular 400W panel costs USD 230, and takes up space of 2 sq meters. Cost efficiency: ~1/5 Surface efficiency: ~1/15

@sadface7457 9 ай бұрын

What's their power to surface area?

@Daikini0 9 ай бұрын

I guess that is a figure not to brag about. If the film is like 10x10 cm, and let's say 2 gramms, then 5 sq meters produce 300W, which means it requires at least 3 times more space needed. Also this thin film will surely get damaged by hailstorm. But if my estimation is too big for this 10x10 cm cell, then the math is even worse.

@sadface7457 9 ай бұрын

@@Daikini0 I estimated 5-10x less energy density

@Daikini0 9 ай бұрын

@@sadface7457 could be, later on I found the fabric itself. It's 35 gramms per sq meters. 28 sq meters needed for a kilo. That produces 370 W. Costs like USD 1200

@thegreenthing7603 9 ай бұрын

Still waiting for the damn graphene hype shit

@maemilev 9 ай бұрын

Even Casio calculator solar cells are similar to this.

@LeonidasAthanasiadisOrthodonti 8 ай бұрын

Just imagine the roof of a hybrid car covered with this material.In countries with a lot of sunny days per year that would be such a great saving in fuels and in carbon footprint.Best regards.

@dayatec 6 ай бұрын

Bring those Solar stickers to my land. Here Eggs fallen in roads becomes omlette😂😂

@dice268926 7 ай бұрын

DAYUM

@happyandhealthy888 5 ай бұрын

Thin and thick

@Gangly_arms 9 ай бұрын

I hope they could make it cheaper and much more durable than a conventional solar panel

@loisbruce 5 ай бұрын

Watch and believe! These were used in a house build in the Grand Designs series: North Cotswolds 2023 - shown 08/11/23 ♥UK

@Cuauhtlatoac 3 ай бұрын

To really make a breakthrough and offer a reliable, abundant and cheap source of energy alternative to fossil fuels, similar innovation in batteries energy storage is required.

@MiRa-yd3te 2 ай бұрын

Dove li trovo ?

@CUBETechie 2 ай бұрын

But can it be used as sails on boats?

@yyghhh7462 9 ай бұрын

KZfaq cc can add subtitles but original subtitle is better. please 🙏 add subtitle.

@Alfa75V6 22 күн бұрын

great , fantastically cool , but is it economically viable

@Victorio64 9 ай бұрын

The future is coming.

@GameReality 2 ай бұрын

This is the end of energy crisis.... When this come in to mass produktion we will all get almost free energy.

@mikhailgorbynov8779 9 ай бұрын

👍 space citi the future.

@06colkurtz 9 ай бұрын

Hint. Half the time it’s dark outside. And much of the rest of the time it’s cloudy. How many watts per area?

@robbyrodriguez7099 9 ай бұрын

Now in America well will make it a million dollars please 😂

@Ferocious_Cat 9 ай бұрын

Weird, where is everyone?

@richardh8082 9 ай бұрын

@Ferocious_Of_The_Forfeit_Cat Look behind you

@Ferocious_Cat 9 ай бұрын

@@richardh8082 Oh yeah, invisible Entities. Thanks. Sorry I didn't realize.

@richardh8082 9 ай бұрын

@@Ferocious_Cat S'ok. Happens to us invisible entities all the time

@Ferocious_Cat 9 ай бұрын

@@richardh8082 what's your personal perspective bout it?

@richardh8082 9 ай бұрын

@@Ferocious_Cat they should use perspex is my perspective but then I am not a serious person per se

@user-nt3kf5qf9q 3 ай бұрын

Cost in money...? Just the material.. not the sunlight.. once the material is on.. like the brim on a hat...it's paid for.. no further on going cost per b.s. hour..🎉

@06colkurtz 9 ай бұрын

What is their lifetime? Square feet per watt?

@henrykzajac4129 9 ай бұрын

not much +- 1 year, conting from the time of printing....

@louis1409 9 ай бұрын

@interestingengineering Please link sources

@AlVil 9 ай бұрын

Cream to Chinese solar maker

@DanielSMatthews 9 ай бұрын

Solar power tech is amazing, but running a civilisation on it is suicidal because they will not work very well during the next volcanic winter, and that really is just a matter of when and not if it will happen. +2 years of winter level sunlight even in the height of summer (far worse in actual winter) will see a great reduction in electricity generation right when there is a large spike in demand to deal with the cold and to raise food crops using LED lighting in heated green houses. Billions of people will be at risk of death from the cold or starvation as the entire global food production system collapses. This is not speculation, it is 100% guaranteed to happen, we just don't know how to predict the timing, or how to stop it, so all we can do is adapt now by maximising the use of all forms of nuclear power which will actually become more efficient in colder weather.

@marcinr5687 9 ай бұрын

Basic question: what is this revolutionary technology based on? ? Are these perovskite cells? If these are perovskites, this is nothing new, perovskites have disadvantages - a very short lifespan.

@yyghhh7462 9 ай бұрын

Please 🙏 add subtitle please 🙏🙏

@SDFNI3894YR 9 ай бұрын

GOSH! Is this really true or just a concept for funding rounds? anyone please answer. bcoz if its true then fossil fuels will quickly become irrelevant. am i right on this?