Lightweight, flexible solar cells are great for some niche applications—such as powering drones—where heavier, conventional solar panels won’t work. They could also help reduce the cost of installation, which is one of the biggest parts of the cost of solar power, by making solar panels easier to install. But to take on power from fossil fuels, such cells need to be both far more efficient and cheaper to make.
Some Swiss researchers have taken a step in that direction, announcing a record solar cell efficiency for a type of flexible solar cell that could be cheap to make. But commercializing the technology will be difficult.
The researchers announced that they’ve set a new record for flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells, a type of solar cell that has the potential for low costs because it can be made quickly with relatively small amounts of material. CIGS cells, if made on a flexible plastic or metal foil, can also be flexible, unlike conventional silicon solar panels, which are heavy and rigid. But CIGS cells aren’t as efficient as conventional silicon ones, making it hard for the technology to compete. Efficiency is the most powerful lever for reducing solar power costs. Improved efficiency reduces the number of solar panels needed for a given installation, saving on the cost of panels and labor.
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