A new company in Silicon Valley is putting together nanotechnology with solar cells to create something special. Their name is Nanosolar.
The idea is to create the most efficient solar cells that are able to work at the tiniest “nano” level. Nanotechnology involves creating “machines” that are fully operational even though they are microscopic. Nanosolar has basically created solar cells that are so small you can’t even see them.
So how do you install a microscopic solar cell on your roof? Well, that’s where it gets interesting.
Nanosolar creates these solar cells in a big plastic sheet that can be rolled out like a carpet. These “PowerSheets” can be mounted onto an existing house or incorporated into a new build.
Using techniques borrowed from the microprocessor business, Nanosolar “prints” the solar cells onto silicon wafers. Creating cells this way has reduced the cost of solar power down to a level where it will soon be competitive with other sources of energy.
Nanosolar cells are clearly a technology at the very beginning of the lifecycle. It excites me to think that technological advances like this are happening all around us and we just have to be patient to let them develop. Products like Nanosolar cells are what will rescue us from an oil-addicted future of energy.
I can see a day when every new home has solar technology like this built right in. I’ll have a blog post soon about a company that does exactly that.
Nanosolar is currently privately funded, but there is discussion of an initial public offering (IPO) on the stock market soon. When that happens, watch closely. This could be a real winner.
Author by Daryl Kulak
