An Australian physicist is working hard to promote a new type of low-cost solar innovation. He believes that the advent of this new type of solar energy will make it as easy as a mobile phone number when registering an energy account.
At an exhibition in Melbourne last May, Professor Paul Dastoo of Newcastle University showed how to use solar cells printed with organic molecular technology to power screens and displays.
These solar panels are less than 1 mm thick and are fixed with double-sided tape. The texture is similar to potato chips, and the production cost per square meter is less than $10.
Dastor has been working on this technology for more than a decade and is now embarking on a 200 square meter installation, the first of its kind in Australia and around the world.
He said, 'We need to find a solution and quickly reduce the need for basic load power. The low cost and high speed that this technology can bring is exciting. This is an issue that needs to be considered before the arrival of Australia in summer. '
He also said that because Canberra is once again affected by the inertia of previous energy policies, commercial pilots have proved that industry and academia have begun to move forward together.
'If we reflect on where we have been in the past decade and what we have seen in Canberra in the past few weeks, then one thing that this project emphasizes is that universities and industry are coming together to develop together. This is very exciting. Excited. '
Printed solar technology is less efficient than silicon-based solar technology and is more susceptible to degradation.
But Dastor believes that its lower production and installation costs will make it more competitive.
'The focus of this technology is that, from the point of view of raw efficiency data, it is much lower and lasts longer than a typical silicon battery, but in reality these numbers are not important.'
'What is the cost of energy? The production, manufacturing and installation costs of these materials are very low. From the point of view of total energy costs in mass production, it is more competitive.'
Dastor said that it is easy for companies to sell energy 'projects' to consumers, just as simple as registering a phone number.
The commercial installation is completed by five employees in one day, and the lab-scale printer can produce hundreds of meters of products in one day.
'It should be noted that I don't know how the industry will work and develop in reality, but in my opinion, although this technology will not last for a long time, it will be improved soon.'
'These two factors are similar to when we use a mobile phone, so I think this refers to a mode in which you just get the part that is provided for you, it will be an escalation and Replacement of the project.
'Because the cost is very low, it is very easy to introduce another set of solar cells. I think that over time, our current views on solar and solar panels will change radically.'
The pilot installation will last for six months and is the last pilot installation of the technology before it will be more widely used in the next few years.
