Popular Science Innovation of the Year: Nanosolar Powersheet
Silicon Valley-based Nanosolar’s Powersheet was named innovation of the year by Popular Science. The Powersheet is a solar cell made with printing-press style machines that set down a layer of nanoparticle ink onto metal sheets as thin as aluminum foil. The panels can be made for about a tenth of what current panels cost and at a rate of several hundred feet per minute.
Nanoparticle ink is a proprietary ink developed by Nanosolar that makes it possible to simply print the semiconductor of a high-performance solar cell on highly conductive yet low-cost foil.
Nanosolar’s cells use no silicon and the company’s manufacturing process allow it to create cells that are as efficient as existing cells for as little as 30 cents a watt versus about $3/watt for existing silicon-based solar cells. For comparison purposes, to compete with coal that cost per watt has to be in the $1 per watt range.
Nanosolar is backed by several heavy hitters including Google’s founders, Benchmark Capital, SAC Capital, GLG Partners, OnPoint Technologies (the US Army’s private equity fund), and others including a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Drooling for a chance to invest in this company? Stand in line - the firm is privately held and is presently not accepting any new capital.
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This is awesome. Please make this as widely available as possible, because people will find a multitude of uses for it.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
That is extremely slick. Not only could it be used in more applications because of it’s size and ability to be printed on many different things but it’s actually a viable technology because it is cheaper than coal. Love the green tech. You can change the world and still make money doing it.
November 13th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
This publicity has all the characteristics of a new company with an unproven theory trying to attract money.Note they do not,on their website quote the vital piece of information which is,”What suface area of foil is required to generate each watt of power”.The picture implies that the whole roof should be covered,which indicates a very low output per area compared with current panels.
The other give away on their website is the invitation for investors to contact them.
I will await proof of actual product/power being produced before getting excited.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
What is missing here is watts per sq meter of surface compared tO the 36 cell/18 volt current systems under the same conditions. How would the printed sheet be attached to the supporting surface. What surfaces are acceptable? IS IT RESISTANT TO THE MARINE AIR, ALT WATER SPLASH AND RAIN?
March 5th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[…] For example, Nanosolar has already been able to reduce the cost of production by 90 percent, slashing the cost from $3 per watt to 30 cents per watt. They won the Popular Science Innovation of 2007 award for their paint-layer-thin solar coating, which is in production as of 2008. […]
March 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm