New Rollable Solar Panels Make Roof Installations a Snap!
Posted By Andrew Michler On July 12, 2010 @ 3:08 pm In Renewable Energy,Solar Power | 9 Comments
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We cover a lot of solar panel technologies [5] here at Inhabitat — some are pie in the sky [6], some are a few years down the road [7] and some are exciting products that are actually available today. SoloPower’s [8] new flexible rolling solar panels are in the latter group, and they stand to significantly reduce production and installation costs. With a notable 11% efficiency [9], the easily-installed thin-film panels may be able to give traditional silicon panels a run for the money.
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We can’t wait to see what architects can do with lightweight, bendable solar panels. Rather than using expensive glass and aluminum frames [11], these units can be literally rolled directly onto metal or flat roofs — thus saving money in materials, time and the extra engineering and upgrades a traditional rack would take. The panels use a Copper-Indium-Gallium-Selenide (CIGS) [12] process that can produce very long panels but does not require a clean room. The cells are mounted on a flexible foil, and pig tail connectors at the end plug into on another to expedite the installation.
+ SoloPower [8]
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URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/new-rollable-solar-panels-make-roof-installations-a-snap/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/new-rollable-solar-panels-make-roof-installations-a-snap/
[4] Image: http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/12/new-rollable-solar-panels-make-roof-installations-a-snap/new-3-20/
[5] solar panel technologies: http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/
[6] pie in the sky: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/10/sunhope-solar-balloons/
[7] a few years down the road: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/17/energy-generating-self-heating-solar-roadway-unveiled/
[8] SoloPower’s: http://solopower.com/index.html
[9] 11% efficiency: http://solopower.com/NREL_conversion_efficiency_solopower_CIGS_PV_modules.html
[10] Image: http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/12/new-rollable-solar-panels-make-roof-installations-a-snap/new-4-26/
[11] expensive glass and aluminum frames: http://inhabitat.com/2010/06/15/sanyo-unveils-worlds-most-efficient-solar-module-hit-n230/
[12] Copper-Indium-Gallium-Selenide (CIGS): http://solopower.com/thinfilms.html
[13] Dvice: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/07/these-flexible.php
[14] CNET: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20010229-54.html
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