Solar Cell Power To Weight Ratio

Though flexible solar cells are hardly a new innovation even being produced experimentally in everything from continuously printed rolls to spray on panels the power to weight ratio is where.

Solar cell power to weight ratio. Asti announced the company has achieved a major breakthrough in power to weight ratio for its superlight solar module delivering over 1700 watts of power. This technique is usually restricted to aerospace applications where performance and a favorable power to weight ratio outweighs cost. For example a 10 25 x 15 5 in. Ascent solar technologies inc.

By the 1960s solar cells were and still are the main power source for most earth orbiting satellites and a number of probes into the solar system since they offered the best power to weight ratio. The cells flexibility and low weight in combination with a high cell efficiency can also be used for terrestrial applications especially if portable power is required. Solar cells technically known as photovoltaic cells. The expense can be mitigated to some extent by using low efficiency materials to build moderate efficiency three junction amorphous silicon solar cells.

While there is some variation from brand to brand most panels weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pounds. Thin film tandem junction solar cells on thin plastic substrates which are capable of ultimately achieving conversion efficiencies of 30 yielding 35 40 mw cm 2 of power thereby. However this success was possible because in the space application power system costs could be high because space users had few other power. In addition the power to weight ratio of the new devices is among the highest ever achieved for solar cells.