Fifty years after the introduction of photovoltaics, they are still stiff, bulky,
and extremely expensive. The time till cost recovery for silicon based solar panels
is 8 to 10 years.

Scientist at U.C. Santa Barbara are developing a way to make the sun’s energy affordable to everyone. Knowing to accomplish their goal, the first step
had to be finding a cheaper material than silicon. Dr. Alan Heeger made a
surprising discovery that propelled the project past possibility into
reality when he mixed plastic with a fullerene (a carbon molecule),
and the electrons in the plastic began moving.

In the process of testing the speed at which their new type of solar
cell conducts electricity, the team was excited at finding the
efficiency far exceeded their expectations. Because it happened
in a time scale even faster than the first steps of photosynthesis.
A thousandth of a billionth of a second. That’s pretty darn
efficient.

Using different plastic and fullerene combinations, they have made
several kinds of solar ink, each absorbing a different wave length
of the sun’s energy. These solar inks can be sprayed on any surface
in layers, each layer responding to a different wave length of light.

This process will allow solar cells to be printed out like newspapers
on a printingpress at very high speeds and very high volumes.

Dr. Heeger and his team have joined forces with a company called
Konarka to bring to  market the revolutionary Power Plastic.

Power Plastic is a new breed of solar power, it can pick up very low
light such as on cloudy days, or “off” angles. It doesn’t have to be
pointed directly at the sun. It’s flexible enough to conform to the
contour of any surface, and someday the possibility of having it built
right into the roofing material itself. Or a self powering cell phone,
set it on the counter and the overhead light recharges it.

Conventional solar panels cost $2.40 per watt, power plastic is
currently below $1.00 per watt. But once it is out of the experimental
stage and into large scale production, the goal is to get it down to
$0.10 per watt!

Power Plastic should be available soon, and possible by 2010 the
ability to power your entire house.