"Spray-On Solar Cells Energize Almost Any Surface"

I hate whenever stuff like this is ever mentioned. A lot of the revolutionary finds or items NEVER reach the household of anyone. I'm quite fed up with it, really. All of this stuff could've been accomplished already if greedy people never interferred with stuff like this because it would "ruin" their success.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
Pity we will never see it, or it will be outragously expensive once it is out to where nobody actually uses it except for the very wealthy environmentalists.


just being a realist. They could have a fighting chance if they released it at 1%...but having 10% collecting will harm the oil industry..cant have that happen now, can we.

I've heard over the years of many innovative solar concepts, only to never hear of them again....either they end up too expensive, don't work, or the oil industries by the patents and sit on them

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


It's not that simple. They can control the consumption of oil.. not solar cells.

i feel that tptb will always attempt to destroy anything that would be of a significant benefit to mankind.
we could have the technology to run a vehicle off of water if we so chose. instead that sort of research is stifeled so we will continue to be forced to rely on oil.
they would never allow a cure for cancer to be developed/released.
and i don not believe they would ever allow free energy devices or technology that would make us significantly more energy independent

Spray on solar panels and high efficiency batteries would work,solar on it's own can't power anything yet,it has to be used as a charger for batteries.

Wow,the rich thumper car guys will have this powering their silly loud stereo systems to get silly young women to come close enough to harass,and their friends will be closeby to sell them drugs and alcohol so they can take advantage,.............

You need battery backup regardless,but you and me will never be ALLOWED to afford it.

RV's and sailboats could benefit from this tech,not poor people like me though.

Guess I'm stuck riding a bicycle still.....OK!.
Very efficient,Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss!.

I like it anyway.

Just a note...Any technology that works is used by the military until they find something better,then it is realeased for use by/to the public.

Just imagine what the military has to replace this?.

Bicycle=90%+efficiency....See Swiss Army,and they never go to war,which is better yet.

Just be happy and healthy going slow .

Stop the world,I wanna get off.

Perfecting this, even at 10% efficiency would be a veritable energy revolution.

Image every homeowner in the US having the ability to 'paint' their roofs with this stuff. If we simplistically assume that every home has at least 600 sqare feet of roof available (a 20 by 30 foot area) then that translates into 6KW of energy production per hour of daylight. And that's using the 10% efficiency number. So the formula is: 600 sqft X 100 watts per X10%. [See this link solar energy generation for more on solar energy generation numbers].

Having just done some research for solar power conversion on my home in Michigan (yes it is even viable as far north as Michigan), I found solar panel packages that would generate around 600 watts per hour for around $15,000 installed. Obviously I am looking at looking to do this because I want to try to be more ecologically conscious rather than recover my expenses quickly. However, if I was able to produce 6KW per hour, I could actually make money each month, by selling the excess energy back to the power company. Now that would be sweet.

I've seen this same concept on ATS before, but it was probably a different team than this one, since the linked news article is recent.

I wonder if this stuff is cheaper than getting solar panels? It's certainly more convenient, and if it was cheaper and/or more efficient than panels, it should be put on buildings everywhere. The only issue would be aesthetics, depending on what this stuff looks like.

I really like this idea, and I have been trying to follow it for at least the last 5 years. It's not all that new. There are some hurdles yet to overcome:

• Degradation due to environmental pressures - almost everything left outside with the elements rots to some degree over time. In the case of solar panels, this degradation could be extremelt slight, and still be enough to render the system useless.
  
  
• Cost is still an issue. The materials must be mixed absolutely perfectly to get the desired (and necessary) chemical/electrical configurations.
  
  
• Installation is also expensive and allows little deviation from perfection. The last I heard (I will check this article in more depth later) two different coatings are required to form the semiconducting boundary.
  
  
• Contamination during installation can actually be addressed separately from installation in general. Under laboratory conditions, contaminants can be minimalized, but in the real world, you can't prevent a few specks of dust or pollen from getting into the paint as it is applied.
  
  
• Efficiency has always been and apparently still is a big problem. For this to be commercially viable, it must put out enough power over the average life span to more than offset the cost of purchase and installation.
  
  
• Overall cost was a concern, and still may be. No one is going to spend $50,000 to paint their house.
  
  
• Rooftop usage is what is being touted as the best location to use this technology. But rooftops undergo higher stress from rainfall, falling objects (even minute ones), and weathering. The solar cell paint would have to have an extremely hard and durable, yet transparent and non-yellowing coating to make it useful.

All that said, I like this technology and am hopeful it will happen someday. But right now there are still a lot of concerns over implementation.

As for the oil companies? What kind of uproar do you think would happen if they overtly bought into this new technology? These guys aren't as dumb as many would like to think. They are investing, but quietly and usually through private channels.

Here's hoping someone gets them all the problems resolved.

TheRedneck


[edit on 8/26/2009 by TheRedneck]

My company,(along with others) is working to perfect transparent solar cells that would be intergraded in to window glass. I sense a possible colaborated effort here... I'll check it out and let you know. Thanks for the post !

That's a fabulous idea really. Hope it pans out!

Originally posted by SaturnFX
They could have a fighting chance if they released it at 1%...but having 10% collecting will harm the oil industry..cant have that happen now, can we.

I think a lot gets blamed on the oil industry that they are not responsible for when it comes to conspiracies. Not that they haven't got the same nature as all big corps, but there's something else I never hear anybody mention and I wonder why:

We could do a lot more oil exploration locally that we don't. It seems as if there is a leaning on reliance on foreign oil (and yes, even oil that we cannot say some major politician(s) own stock in). Aside from which the petrochemical industry makes much money in chem, not gasoline, at this point.

But the government makes 'import tariff' money on every 'barrell of oil' imported, do they not?

This is not an area I know enough about to research but I've long been fascinated with the question: How much 'import money' does the government itself make -- all of which is at risk from competition in power sources -- from oil import? Wish I knew someone to ask.

My point here is that there may be actual conspiracies against new power resources, but they may be stemming from a source other than the oil corps. They are not the only ones with a vested interest in, specifically IMPORT oil.

Best,
RC

Some years ago, I did a paper on just this thing. I believe that the technology of the day was something called "Quantum Dots". Basically, they are nano-crystals which are designed and grown to react to a specific light wavelength. They can both emit and absorb their frequency of light and, with a number of them in a solution, they can actually absorb light and transform it into electrical voltage at a better efficiency than current solar technology. The great thing is that it can be applied like a paint with an extra step added to align the crystals correctly. The application of a voltage. When the paint dries, the crystals are lined up properly and can generate power just like a solar cell.

The problem with environmental degradation can be addressed by simply adding a clear coat over the paint, much like we do with automobiles today. In fact, the clear coat may actually enhance the photovoltaic properties of the paint.

An article from 2005 addresses much of these points.

national geographic article