U.S. researchers closer to creating new solar cells

U.S. researchers have taken one step closer to creating high-efficiency solar cells using cheap plastic with a dash of silicon, it was announced on Saturday.

The solar cells, being developed by researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), have significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversation than previous polymers, the university said in a press release on its website.
The researchers want these easy-to-use plastic solar energy cells to be sold at local hardware stores, and then hung like posters on the wall, said the release.

“We hope that solar cells will one day be as thin as paper and be attached to the surface of your choice,” said co-author Hsiang-Yu Chen, a UCLA graduate student in engineering. “We’ll also be able to create different colors to match different applications.”

Xinhua