Squidoo: Solar Power House - Why Time Magazine Calls Thin Film Solar Panels Invention of the Year

Solar Power House - Why Time Magazine Calls Thin Film Solar Panels Invention of the Year ...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:39:52 -0600

If you plan on building a solar power house, you will want the best power for a reasonable price. Although there was a time when it was expensive to create your house with solar power, today with new technology it is becoming less costly and very effective. One excellent addition to the solar power for homes market has been the thin film solar panels, making it easier than ever to get solar energy that is cost effective.

These new thin film solar panels now being used for home solar power generation, are actually layered stacks that are not thicker than packing paper. This solar technology can be seen in calculators running on solar power and the very thin film these calculators contain. Instead of being baked the way silicon panels are, the solar panel films are made on unique rolling machines much like a printing press.

Using these new thin-film solar panels has many advantages for solar power homes. The panels are light and they are easy to use on various types of materials. They blend in with the home, and there are no huge and unsightly panels on the roof-top to concern you. A key benefit is that these thin film solar cells are less pricey and they are more efficient too. Installing thin film solar panel for conversion to solar power homes is definitely an excellent idea.

The technology and science behind these new thin panels is essentially the same, there are some differences in how they are made. Silicon is put between wafer cell layers, but for these new thin film solar cells, either copper indium gallium diselenide or cadmium telluride is placed between each thin layer. The new thin panels are also not made in the same way. These panels are made on huge presses similar to printing presses using aluminum foil, a process that saves money.

Solar panels made of thin film designed for solar power homes have been highlighted on CNN and even given the distinction of the "Invention of the Year" by Time Magazine. The benefits surrounding these panels definitely make them a worthy invention to be named such. In addition solar power is going to be available for the same price as other forms of energy, and these new thin film solar panels are definitely a technological leap forward that will change the way we think of solar energy.

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