Nanosolar Solar Panels:
The Cheapest So Far

Nanosolar is a relatively new company that has developed a very efficient way of producing solar cells.

This is an advantage because they are able to avoid costly and time consuming industrial processes when manufacturing the cells. All the required parts for the cells are contained in the dye used to print the cells. Once the dye is laid on the foil backing the particles arrange themselves and the cells are ready to be mounted and used.

Effectiveness Of The Panels

Their lab tests show that these nano-panels have about the same efficiency as regular thin film panels. This is around the 14 - 15% mark in the lab that would translate to a slightly lower figure in actual operation.

Cost

This process has slashed the cost of producing thin film cells, and the company is currently selling panels at about the $1 pew Watt range, compared to at least $3-4 per Watt for the next cheapest method of thin film manufacture.

They also have the advantage that their process is not dependent on supplies of silicon for the manufacture of cells. This has long been a bottleneck for other manufacturers both in terms of supply and cost.

Availability

You'd think the world would be flooded with these cheap panels by now but this is not the case. Nanosolar has of course got an iron clad patent on this that makes Fort Knox look like a kiddy’s sand castle. We can't expect to see this method being used elsewhere any time soon.

They are ramping up production but are already sold out a long way in advance. You won't see these panels in shops any time soon, but if you're looking for bulk purchases of panels Nanosolar is worth a look.

Videos Of Their Processes

These videos are obviously not revealing any scientific information about their ink, but they're a wonderful vision for a cleaner world.