Solar cells being developed at the California Institute of Technology are working on a way to create solar panels that are very good at absorbing light, are mostly made of cheap plastic with minimal use of expensive semiconductors, and are flexible.
At the microscopic scale, the surface of the solar cells resemble "hairy" nanowire-based solar panels but instead of using exotic materials like indium gallium phosphide they are 98% polymer with just 2% silicon. This gives a large surface area for catching and absorbing light, while also keeping the costs down
"These solar cells have, for the first time, surpassed the conventional light-trapping limit for absorbing materials," says Harry Atwater, Howard Hughes Professor, of applied physics and materials science. "We've surpassed previous optical microstructures developed to trap light," he continues.
As well as having a large surface area, this structure ensures that any light that misses the silicon wires first time round is scattered until it hits one eventually.
The flexibility of the panels is also important because it means that they can be manufactured using roll-to-roll processes, reducing production costs compared to non-flexible panels.
Source: Treehugger