SOLAR CLOTH

Solar sails set course for a new journey into renewable energy; Perry Carroll of The Solar Cloth Company explains why his flexible solar sail panels can generate energy not only at on sea but on millions of spaces on land

Shane Hickey, 22 March 2015 (The Guardian)

“…Solar Cloth Company makes lightweight, flexible solar panels which can be rolled and fitted onto curved and flexible structures such as domes or coverings for agricultural land, as well as on the roofs of buildings unable to sustain the weight of glass panels…The company uses thin film photovoltaics (TFPV), which are viewed as the second generation of solar technology. TFPV is light enough to be placed on plastics…[The company’s] panels are about 20% the weight of standard panels…[They] produce 15% less power than the current generation of panels and they cost twice as much. But the company hopes to open up new markets by emphasising the weight difference and the flexibility of the plastic roll, which open up new possibilities for siting solar cells. For instance, the cells can be bonded onto structural fabrics of buildings…The rolls of TFPV can be fitted on top of a building over a few days, allowing for millions of square metres of space on structures to be converted to solar…The company also intends to concentrate on fitting the panels on awnings in car parks, where the energy can then be fed directly into an electric car parked underneath…So far the company [valued at £7.5m] has received £700,000 worth of orders…” click here for more

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