3D printed solar cells
As everyone is now well aware of, 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionise a wide range of industries. Most specifically, 3D printing allows for maximum personalisation of products and inexpensive short-run production cycles, which are ideal for creating prototypes. Advantages such as these are sure to dramatically alter the faces of industries such as biomedicine, defence, gaming and many, many more! However, the environmental aspects of 3D printing are not as frequently discussed as the 3D printed guns and chocolate cakes you see in the news. One area where 3D printing has a genuine chance to improve the world is in the field of renewable energy - more specifically, solar cells.
Solar cells for gloomy weather
The depletion of earth’s natural energy resources is well documented, and with the consequences of this unpleasant prospect looming in the not too distant future, scientists have suggested that solar energy may one day be a viable alternative for fossil fuels. While technological advancements are yet to be made before solar cells are working with reasonable levels of efficiency, one of the drawbacks has always been the environment in which the solar cells are placed. Typically, solar cells would need to be in a climate where there is an abundance of bright sunshine for them to be effective. However, scientists at the National Physical Laboratory have recently created solar cells which function better when used in cloudy conditions!
The material used for these solar cells is comprised of small organic molecules which act as semiconductors when struck by solar radiation. Amazingly, the material can be dissolved into a solution and printed with a 3D printing machine, allowing for a maximum flexibility in a range of electronic applications. These solar cells work at 10% efficiency in direct sunlight, but climb to 13% efficiency under cloudy conditions - making them perfect to be used in Britain, where as we know, the weather is often not the best! This technology is expected to be in use within the next 5 years.
Powering the third world
Among the many weird and wonderful 3D printing blueprints located on Thingiverse, Rob Martin’s Dual Axis Solar Tracker serves as an example that individuals have the power to make the world a better place, not just big corporations. The Dual Axis Solar Tracker is an open source device which can be be entirely constructed using a 3D printer for small-scale solar projects. Being inexpensive and free of electronics, devices such as these have deep-reaching ramifications for continents like Africa, where the depletion of resources is already causing problems for the rapidly expanding population. In a continent where there are multiple barriers to development for sustainable energy solutions such as solar power, open source inventions such as the Dual Axis Solar Tracker may be just what’s required to get things moving in the right direction.
[Images by Jusben and pedrojperez]
Tagged with: 3d printing, solar cells
