Originally published on The Nano Newswire
Today's Boston Globe reports that a Cambridge, MA. firm
founded by former Polaroid scientists and engineers,
MicroContinuum, Inc., is applying its roll-to-roll
("R2R") research and development efforts to the creation
of more efficient flexible solar panels.
MicroContinuum and its research partners at the University of
Missouri, University of Colorado, and the Idaho National
laboratory, have created "nantennas," small antenna's
that absorb much more energy from the sun's rays than
traditional solar panels. According to the University of
Missouri's announcement, Nantennas collect over 90
percent of available sun light energy, while existing solar panels
only collect approximately 30 percent.
The challenge is to form nantennas into flexible sheets that are
capable of being produced inexpensively in large volumes. The goal
is to produce prototypes within the next five years. Nantennas
could be deployed in flexible sheets unfurled over any surface and
enable it to collect solar energy, and could ultimately be
incorporated into building materials such as roofing shingles. We
will monitor future development and commercialization of this
exciting technology.
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