Inkjet-Printed Solar Cells: The World’s Cheapest

[ashtweth]

Nicole Kuepper`s Inkjet-Printed Solar Cells: The World’s Cheapest | Solar Power | The Green Optimistic

Nicole Kuepper, a 23 year-old Australian scientist has invented a method of making cheap solar cells out of simple materials, that any DIY-er could find in his home.

She has painted a silicon wafer with something like nail polish, then she put the wafer in a modified inkjet printer, and printed a high resolution pattern with a solution that dilutes the nail polish, like acetone. After that, she metalized the entire thing with an aluminum spray and put it into an oven at about 550°F (more or less the temperature at which you bake the pizza), and voilà! There’s the world’s cheapest silicon solar cell!

Watch the video, and if you find out more about her invention of the patterns involved, remember to place a comment here on GreenOptimistic.com, so we can find out how to do that ourselves.

YouTube - Solar Star: Nicole Kuepper

[wpage]

Inspirational

Exciting find! Sounds like great things coming from the land down under!

[swompwalker]

Great to be reminded that OZ is not all kids polishin their surf boards and hangin out at surf clubs - not that I aint done all o' them things myself. Articulate girl!

[dambit]

No, we just do that during the day. At night we have an hour or so before we hit the town where we can do some work.

[Aaron]

waiting for Nicole to come post

I posted two comments (waiting for moderation).

I pointed out this thread, so we'll see if Nicole really
wants to get this technology out because it will
happen here.

[air mail ef]

WOW!! Now that ia a girl that is going to make a difference.

[ashtweth]

Woman should be president Ask peter L

[bobo36us]

I want to marry her

[rmay635703]

Not sure if this was posted but...

There are some juicy tidbits on the wiki

Nicole Kuepper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyone want to pay to read the article?

ScienceDirect - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells : Forming openings to semiconductor layers of silicon solar cells by inkjet printing

[WCastle]

Bump

Has anyone heard more of this inkjet printed solar technology from Nicole ?

[amigo]

Oh please...because all those villages in Africa are teeming with inkjet printers. They don't have the medicine, food, fresh water, but inkjet printers are in abundance.

Maybe in China or India, the World's dumpster for electronics recycling, there would be some inkjet printers found, but probably broken.

Either way, sigh.

[WCastle]

Wha...

Umm, I dont know what your problem is, can I assume from your reply that you are a commie globalist banker bastard? bent on squelching new technology?

or do you just not have an answer for my question?

look it was just a question, if you have information about Nicole's progress/non progress, or a replication attempt, or anything to give to this thread then please do.


sheez.....o petes

[Bob Smith]

Sorry to be a party pooper. But photovoltaic genre is not really new technology. In fact, there is a growing number of people who would argue it is actually the new controlled energy source, just as oil has been the last 80 years under the management of oil cartels and allied car manufacturers. It's no accident BP is the largest producer of solar panels in the world. There's gold in them thar panels.

I think we really need to move forward away from this control technology and the cap and trade tyranny that looms in the wings marching lock-step with its ushering in as the saviour to our oily woes. O brave new world and such people in it!

Now that the secret of abiotic oil is out of the bag, and there is no such thing as peak oil, a crisis like the gulf of Mexico spill is mighty convenient to discredit oil. Funny tho' how these same oil cartels have never let clean burning technologies (from Charles Pogue's Carburetor to GEET and many others in between) have their day.

Anyway, despite what I've said, I do hope this woman sees some sucess, and that others can benefit from her work. Why should they not be entitled to a tiny sliver of the PV pie?

Take care all,
Bob