Slashdot Mirror
Solar Panels As Building Clothing
Makarand writes "A Canadian company is developing a
flexible solar-power generating material that can be
draped over any building. This will allow buildings with curves and complex
shapes to use solar panels. The new material is made of silicon beads,
each acting as a solar cell, placed between two aluminum foils and sealed on the sides
with plastic.
The manufacturing process for the silicon beads can use waste silicon
from the chip-making industry. The material has an overall
efficiency of 11 per cent which is comparable to the performance of
conventional photovoltaic cells. The material looks like blue denim
and architects might love to work with it."
Looks like Levi's headquarters could get a facelift
But really, blue denim look, could look really cool if used correctly, but just how efficient is if if we put it on the walls of buildings instead of the roof, where most of the sun hits?
GameTab.com - Game Reviews Database
The fashionable building, that is.
"Does this make my delivery bay look fat?"
*honk*
This is my sig. It's prescription, I swear. I need it for reading things... on the other side of things
Reminds me of a joke. Guy goes into a hardware store, wants a hammer. Hardware store says they cost $10, but they are out of them. Guy goes to hardware store number two. This store says hammers are $20.
"But the store down the street will sell me a hammer for $10, they are just out of them right now!"
"Well, when we are out of hammers, we sell them for $5".
I just know my wife is going to want, no _need_, Levi stonewash solar panels with a hipster fit.
Damn fashion.
----------
Interior decorating your home in style?
I wonder if I can make a set of clothes out of this stuff to power a wearable computer. It might get hot, but in kentucky the winters are abnormally cold.
Wait, this means that I would have to go outside to use it. Nevermind
"It's the little touches that make a future solid enough to be destroyed" --William S. Bourroughs
Solar Pants...hmmm...gives new meaning to Hot Pants!
[n8.r0n] http://petesweb.spymac.net/
Hell with powering my PDA with it! I want to deliver a massive electric shock to everyone I touch! BOFH-Style electrified doorknobs will become obselete!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Looks like denim. I somehow doubt that with 2 layers of aluminum, this is going to feel anything like denim.
----- sXe
Now we've got something Christo can charge for...
As we all know, major technological advances in the computing field are all driven by the pr0n industry...so imagine what a current-generating fabric would be used for.
At the very least, it ought to convince people to produce efficient wearable computers. You know that the guy in jedi-robes must have a pimpin' CPU... but the model who's almost in a bikini might be highly optimized *wink wink*.
I found that you can get white light from an LED by applying 20 or so volts in reverse. Lifespan can be measured in minutes or hours.