'Printed' solar cells coming to windows, clothing

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9891134-54.html?tag=nefd.top

March 12, 2008 3:00 AM PDT

'Printed' solar cells coming to windows, clothing

Posted by Martin LaMonica

NEW YORK--Solar company Konarka wants to bring plastics to life with the sun.

Konarka has developed technology to create rolls of plastic that can convert light to electricity--a design that will result in solar power being embedded in everything from flashing Coke bottles to wireless sensors, the company claims.

Earlier this month, Konarka said that it has demonstrated the use of inkjet printing to manufacture its solar cells. And at a recent investor conference here, chairman and founder Howard Berke described Konarka's longer-term plans to embed small solar plastic cells in hundreds of products.

In the second half of this year, Berke said, Konarka will make its first shipments to customers and will announce the location of a factory.

...

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Ooh! Flashing Coke bottles! I love my Jetson existence...

:D

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. My local CVS has boxes on the shelves with flashing LED's

They're (obviously) battery powered. I'm not certain that solar-powered flashing LED's would be better from an environmental viewpoint or not...

On the other hand, windows that act as solar panels? (That sounds nice.)

[Cooley Hurd]

7. I like it too...

:thumbsup:

[wtmusic]

2. So this is in E/E because of all the extra disposable crap

it will generate? Just curious.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Um... at the risk of repeating myself...

The flashing Coke™ bottle is a silly use of a solar cell. However, the technology is (potentially) so much more useful than that.

The key is that you have potentially ubiquitous electrical generation. "Wherever plastics occur, you'll have PV."

[annabanana]

5. potential!

Cars manufactured of solar power collectors.
Houses constructed of solar power collectors.

No need to ever plug anything in, ever again.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Yeah!

[aasleka]

8. Rooftops, flags, cars clothing made as ipod/cell phone chargers

lol nanotube clothing with printed solar cells or the same substances to build modular homes, tents that you put up and plug in like their plan for military tents on their website. Even better a nanotube fabric that stretches out like a solar sail, oh the many aplications if it were cheap to make which it now is!

[angrycarpenter]

9. How about a bottle that shined ultra-violet light on the contents.

It would disinfect the water stored in them.

It also seems like it could be eventually adapted to display monochrome images.