Imagine a solar cell that comes in a jar instead of a big, clunky panel, and that could be painted on a piece of plastic. It might be closer than you think - scientists at the University of Southern California have developed a new type of solar cell made from nanocrystals that are so small that you could fit about 250 billion of them on the head of a pin. Due to their size, the nanocrystals can be made into an ink and painted or printed onto clear surfaces. The breakthrough could open the door to solar cells that can be printed onto plastic instead of glass, and then bent and shaped to fit anywhere.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "solar energy", clean tech, green technology, liquid solar cell, nanocrystals, nanotechnology, renewable energy, science, solar, Solar Cell, Solar Power, University of Southern California, USC

Bulky and expensive photovoltaic panels are so 2008. What does the future look like? Entire buildings, rooftops and even windows spray-painted with revolutionary nanoparticle inks that channel solar power into a thin, semi-transparent and relatively inexpensive medium. Sound crazy? Not at all, according to one group of chemical engineers.

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Post tags: "solar energy", brian korgel, cigs, copper indium gallium selenide, nanocrystals, Solar Power, spray on photovoltaics, spray on solar cells, sunlight-absorbing nano-particles, University of Texas at Austin