The Future of Solar Panels -- Solar Ink

Solar ink is a term that very few people have heard before. But this little known term is an up and coming technology that's going to revolutionize the solar industry. So what is it? It's actually just what the name implies. It's solar material, which just means that it's a material that harnesses the power of the sun, and it's dissolved into a liquid state which can actually be "printed." And by printing I actually mean printing, just like a normal printer uses ink to print a message onto a piece of paper. But solar ink isn't printed onto paper. Generally, it's printed onto very thin sheets of silicon plastic in a predefined arrangement. These solar sheets are ultra light, thin, and flexible, which is why this technology has also been termed, thin film solar, flexible solar, and also amorphous solar.

In order to produce an effective solar panel from this technology, multiple thin sheets need to be stacked on top of one another and combined. Some of the panels produced with solar ink technology are actually able to be rolled up like a towel or yoga mat and can be carrier around with a person for their own personal use. By personal use, I mean that people can use them to charge their personal electronics -- things like laptops, cell phones and more. With the new, incredible advancements in solar, personal thin film solar panels are sure to see a lot of new interest. And due to the fact that manufacturing these panels is so easy, there has never been a better time to produce solar panels for personal use.

Any time a technology both becomes more useful to people and at the same time comes down in price, it's then that you know that you're on the verge of an explosion of interest. With the invention of this awesome new technology, there hasn't been a better time for companies to start mass producing personal flexible solar panels. Solar panels created in this way are even ending up on backpacks for college students wanting to charge their devices while walking around campus. Though this kind of application might not be very efficient, I love the fact that people are getting creative in their uses and placement of thin film solar panels. Solar panels created using thin film technology are even being made like stickers, where a person can simply peel off the back and adhere it to any clean, flat surface they want. RV owners and boat owners have taken a huge interest into this kind of application for thin film solar, able to stick a panel onto the roof of their vehicle without worry of it peeling off at high speeds. 2011 is going to see a lot of new applications for solar panels. It's definitely an exciting time for green enthusiasts.


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Flexible solar panels are one of the most exciting new green technologies. I love that they're even being added to backpacks. Here's some information on flexible solar panels for anyone who's interested and wants to read more about this technology.