MIT researchers print solar cell on paper

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20004170-54.html

May 5, 2010 6:19 AM PDT

MIT researchers print solar cell on paper

by Martin LaMonica

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have successfully coated paper with a solar cell, part of a suite of research projects aimed at energy breakthroughs.

Susan Hockfield, MIT's president, and Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian oil company Eni, on Tuesday officially dedicated the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center. Eni invested $5 million into the center, which is also receiving a $2 million National Science Foundation grant, said Vladimir Bulovic, the center's director.

The printed solar cells, which Bulovic showed at a press conference Tuesday, are still in the research phase and are years from being commercialized.

However, the technique, in which paper is coated with organic semiconductor material using a process similar to an inkjet printer, is a promising way to lower the weight of solar panels. "If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value," Bulovic said.

...

[Oregone]

1. Print them on Teabagger signs

Those see a lot of daylight, and at least they wont be total wastes of human life

[BrklynLiberal]

2. You re almost as ingenious as the guys who invented these paper solar panels.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[jberryhill]

3. The two canonical types of solar PV stories...

Before you shoot, understand that I used to be involved in PV research back in the 1980's. The song remains the same.

The first type is the "New Efficiency Record" story. This story will tout that researcher have obtained a new record for a particular type of cell technology. These are the Lamborghini's of solar cells. Remarkable feats of semiconductor fabrication which will never scale to an industrial level.

The second type is "Incredibly Low Cost Manufacture" story. The "printed solar cell" has been a top favorite of this area for years, and you can Google that phrase to see how common a story it is. Any two materials with different fermi levels or surface energy can be slapped together to make something that, at some efficiency, will be a solar cell. The cells in this story are 1.5 to 2 percent efficient. If you took that "staple gun" and used it as a squeezable electric generator, you'll get more power than you'll ever get from these cells.

The story you NEVER see is the "New Panel And Inverter Deliver Less Than $1 Per Watt". It is the ONLY story that is going to matter. It is one thing to demonstrate a high efficiency cell. It is another thing to demonstrate a low cost cell. Cells are, however, only a part of what it takes to come up with a cost competitive panel system that delivers power.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but doesn't anyone else get tired of the weekly "solar breakthrough" story, or at least notice the regular occurrence of the "solar breakthrough" story?

This one is really sort of sad in that the neat part - it is printed on paper - renders it pretty much useless for outdoors, you know, where the sunshine is.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. The first challenge is 1$/Watt panels

http://investor.firstsolar.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=201491&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1259614&highlight=

First Solar Passes $1 Per Watt Industry Milestone

Company Cuts Manufacturing Cost to 98 Cents Per Watt in Fourth Quarter

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2009-- First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced it reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to 98 cents per watt, breaking the $1 per watt price barrier.

“This achievement marks a milestone in the solar industry’s evolution toward providing truly sustainable energy solutions,” said Mike Ahearn, First Solar chief executive officer. “First Solar is proud to be leading the way toward clean, affordable solar electricity as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.”

First Solar began full commercial operation of its initial manufacturing line in late 2004. From 2004 through today, manufacturing capacity has grown 2,500 percent to more than 500 megawatts in 2008. First Solar’s annual production capacity will double in 2009 to more than 1 gigawatt, the equivalent of an average-sized nuclear power plant. These escalating volumes have been accompanied by a rapid reduction in manufacturing costs. From 2004 through today, First Solar’s manufacturing costs have declined two-thirds from over $3 per watt to less than $1 per watt. First Solar is confident that further significant cost reductions are possible based on the yet untapped potential of its technology and manufacturing process.

First Solar is not only committed to making solar power affordable but also to making it environmentally sustainable. The Company takes responsibility for its products throughout their life cycle, ensuring that First Solar modules have the smallest carbon footprint of any current photovoltaic (PV) technology. First Solar is proud to have the industry’s first and only comprehensive pre-funded, end-of-life module collection and recycling program, recycling more than 90 percent of each collected module into new products.

Ahearn expressed thanks to governments in Germany and other countries for making today’s milestone possible. “Without forward-looking government programs supporting solar electricity, we would not have been able to invest in the capacity expansion which gives us the scale to bring costs down,” he said. “First Solar’s ongoing focus on cost reduction enables continued growth even as subsidies decline. In the meantime, those initial investments are paying off in a cleaner environment and in the creation of thousands of jobs with a clear future.”

“This represents a major milestone for the solar industry,” said Ken Zweibel, an industry veteran currently serving as Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy at The George Washington University and former Program Leader for the Thin Film Partnership Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. “In order to address climate change in a meaningful way, we need energy technologies that are affordable, scalable and have a low environmental impact on a life-cycle basis. With this announcement, First Solar continues to demonstrate the ability of thin film PV technology to provide an alternative to traditional fossil fuels and for solar power to provide a meaningful contribution in addressing climate change."

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) manufactures solar modules with an advanced semiconductor technology and provides comprehensive PV solutions that significantly reduce solar electricity costs. By enabling clean, renewable electricity at competitive prices, First Solar provides an economic and environmentally responsible alternative to existing peaking fossil-fuel electric generation. First Solar PV power plants operate with no water, air emissions or waste stream. First Solar set the benchmark for environmentally responsible product life cycle management by introducing the industry's first comprehensive collection and recycling program for solar modules. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life collection and recycling, First Solar is focused on creating cost-effective renewable energy solutions that protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com, or www.firstsolar.com/media to download photos.

For First Solar Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Those statements involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with the company's business involving the company's products, their development and distribution, economic and competitive factors and the company's key strategic relationships and other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. First Solar assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

Source: First Solar, Inc.

First Solar, Inc.
United States:
Lisa Morse
[phone]
[e-mail]
Europe:
Brandon Mitchener
[phone]
[e-mail]

[jberryhill]

5. Key phrase: "manufacturing cost"

I'm sorry I was not clear. I did not mean an internal bullshit number representing an isolated cost component, but actual systems for $1 per watt. You know, something that will deliver power. That's why I referred to something that delivers power at $1 per watt.

But, yes, another sterling example of why I feel badly for anyone whose heart jumps on the weekly "solar breakthrough" article.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. And my point was not to say "we've arrived"

But, more accurately, to say, "We're making progress."

[jberryhill]

9. Yeah, just like Vietnam and Iraq

Again, I may be a little jaded since it has been "just around the corner" for me since the early 1980's.

I have no doubt we will continue to make progress in solar power, right down to the last drop of oil and the last shovel of coal.

[OKIsItJustMe]

11. It actually was just around the corner in the 1980's.

It's not that the technology didn't work. It's that fossil fuels were so cheap (relatively speaking.)

It was the "price shocks" of the 1970's that helped stimulate the research of the late 70's and early 80's.

Now, instead of "price shocks" we have sustained higher prices for fossil fuels, while the cost of alternatives like solar and (especially) wind has gotten lower, resulting in a shifting market.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. So what's so magical about $1/Watt anyway?

(That's a rhetorical question.)

The important thing is for solar to be competitive with fossil fuels. ("Cheaper than coal" is another magical goal.)

As the cost of fossil fuels goes up, it becomes easier for solar to be competitive, even if solar was not becoming less expensive (which it is.)

[jberryhill]

8. Good question - Ask the folks who wrote that press release

I didn't deem it to be a "magic number", but I do find it to be amusing that getting a single cost component under $1/W by two cents was important enough for First Solar to put out a press release.

It's not because I'm psychic or anything. But referring back to what you posted, they apparently call it an "Industry Milestone".

As the cost of fossil fuels goes up, the cost of solar panels also goes up, btw. They aren't made by elves in trees, you know.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/statsCosts.htm

[OKIsItJustMe]

10. "As the cost of fossil fuels goes up, the cost of solar panels also goes up, btw."

So... you're saying that the cost of fossil fuels has gone down by about a fourth since December of 2001?

http://www.solarbuzz.com/Moduleprices.htm

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=coal_prices

[jberryhill]

12. I would have assumed....

...that reference to any single technology in the absence of other factors was implicit in that statement. But I realize it is impossible to assume too little, with the point being that one does not find a completely solar-powered industrial solar production facility.

[OKIsItJustMe]

13. The cost of fossil fuels influences the cost of production, both directly and indirectly

However, clearly, it is not the predominant influence. (i.e. solar prices have gone down, and not up, as your statement would suggest.)

Consider that increasing fossil fuel prices have spurred interest in alternatives, leading to increased production, competition and R&D, which in turn have lead to lower prices for alternatives. (So, higher fossil fuel prices have indirectly influenced a decline in solar prices.)

[tvoss]

14. It's actually getting very close at $1.82 watt - $1.28 after federal tax credit

Dealer in Florida is selling complete systems for $1.82 a watt. Includes nearly everything except installation.

[NickB79]

15. Again?

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/10/printable-solar-cells-demonstrated/

"If you like the idea of solar power, but aren’t convinced by expensive, clunky solar panels just yet, here’s a more manageable option: print your own on an inkjet! Konarka Technologies has just debuted a printable solar panel film that uses a common inkjet printing process to manufacture paper-thin photovoltaic solar cells. Using the existing and very simple technologies of your office inkjet printer, Konarka has essentially replaced ink with the solar cell material, and paper with a thin flexible sheet of plastic."