Paper-Like Foldable Solar Panels Enable Installation on Domes

Solar power technology that can be molded to fit the curved exterior walls or protruding shapes of buildings has been developed.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology announced that it has developed solar power technology that allows free changes in shape to match the installation environment while maintaining power generation performance.

Conventional technology mostly features flat designs that are difficult to modify, and even flexible structures have suffered from issues where electrical connections are broken.

To solve this, the research team combined thin silver nanowires with indium and gallium metals, which are as flexible as liquid, to develop electrodes that maintain electrical connections even when their shapes change.

[Lee Pil-lip / Principal Researcher, Korea Institute of Science and Technology: We have created electrodes that are free from damage even against bending or pulling forces.]

While some recently constructed buildings incorporate curved solar panel installations from the design stage, it has been difficult to apply them to already completed buildings.

However, using the new solar cell technology developed by the researchers, there is an advantage in that it can be applied to curved areas and dome-shaped surfaces of existing buildings.

The newly developed solar panels showed almost no change in power generation performance even at a 500% strain rate, and in a structure where the cells are densely arranged in curved areas, the solar cell area was secured up to 225% compared to flat installation areas.

In addition to securing flexibility, the researchers plan to develop materials equipped with durability against strong winds, rainstorms, and fires, similar to conventional solar panels.

This solar cell technology, which can be modified like folding paper, aims for commercialization as early as next year.

(Reported by Seo Donggyun | Video by Park Na-young | Photo courtesy of Korea Institute of Science and Technology | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.