Leader of CSIRO's Renewable Energy Systems Group Dr Anthony Chesman believes the printing facility will bridge the gap between testing and indust

CSIRO opens $6.8m printing facility to make flexible solar panels

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2024-11-06 03:30:04

Leader of CSIRO's Renewable Energy Systems Group Dr Anthony Chesman believes the printing facility will bridge the gap between testing and industrial production.

The CSIRO is seeking application ideas and industry partners to take the flexible solar panel technology to full-scale production. They foresee uses in recreation, defence, disaster relief and agriculture.

Solar panels that can be printed out like newspapers and rolled up to fit in your pocket are one step closer thanks to a new development by the national science agency.

CSIRO has opened a $6.8 million facility in Clayton, Victoria, to take its printed flexible solar panel technology out of the lab and into the real world.

Printing solar cells involves suspending advanced solar materials called perovskite in ink. The ink can then be printed onto long continuous rolls of flexible film made of plastic that conducts electricity.

In March this year, the CSIRO team reached a milestone, achieving a world-first efficiency level of 15.5 per cent. That breakthrough puts the printed panels roughly on par with the capabilities of common rooftop solar panels, most of which sit between 14 per cent and 18 per cent efficiency.

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