Hey, question for some solar panel expert.

Would it be possible to create a solar panel in the form of foil? I know flexible panels exists but I’ve only seen ones embedded in plastic like this:

Is the plastic somehow necessary for power generation or could the solar panel layer be sprayed directly on some sort of foil?

Or to put it another way: how densely could we pack a solar panel if we didn’t care that much about durability?

Let’s say I just want something that will last a month and maybe 100 unfolding-folding cycles. Would it be possible to fit it a box like this:

  • Cort@lemmy.world
    4·
    13 days ago

    I think they do make what you’re asking for, but they’re not great.

    Printed solar panels exist, and are super light weight, but they’re only 10% as efficient as regular panels so you need 10x surface area to produce the same amount of electricity

    • ExLisperOPA
      1·
      12 days ago

      Thanks, I haven’t checked printed panels. I will take a look.