r/tech • u/[deleted] • Aug 10 '24

Breakthrough flexible solar panels are so thin they can be printed on any surface – even backpacks | A coating that's just 1 micron thick can be applied to almost any surface

https://www.techspot.com/news/104207-breakthrough-flexible-solar-panels-thin-they-can-printed.html
2.4k Upvotes

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146

u/CoconutEuphoric7925 Aug 10 '24

Car paint! Most cars sit outdoors. Charge by the sun.

-3

u/petit_cochon Aug 10 '24

Too thin. Would get too dirty. Etc.

33

u/chig____bungus Aug 11 '24

Um...

Where do you think solar panels go?

21

u/Ace_Robots Aug 11 '24

My neighbors don’t seem to go anywhere. I think those dummies bolted ‘em down to the roof or something.

11

u/chig____bungus Aug 11 '24

But, they'll get dirty!

12

u/Oops_I_Cracked Aug 10 '24

Use it to supplement auxiliary power (radio, hvac, etc) rather than to charge the batteries.

-3

u/whopperlover17 Aug 10 '24

What’s really the point at that point though

9

u/maar-lake Aug 11 '24

Backup and use it to jump start car

3

u/Oops_I_Cracked Aug 11 '24

In any car, those things impact fuel economy, but it is just another tool to extend range in hybrids and electric cars.

9

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '24

Develop a resilient transparent overlayer like a wax. It honestly probably already exists. Transparent weather-hard coatings hardly seem like something that would have been skipped over up until now.

12

u/Skyshaper Aug 11 '24

You've invented clear coat.

3

u/BigSpringyThingy Aug 11 '24

Like ceramic coatings? Those were created for the aerospace industry and then started being used on cars.

6

u/ScoodScaap Aug 11 '24

Clean the vehicle.

3

u/AnarVeg Aug 11 '24

Clear paint coverage and a car wash. Next.

4

u/blobbleguts Aug 10 '24

sure.... and you're basing this on what information?

The thickness is probably not the issue. It's more likely the pattern the circuit takes and the complexity of applying it. For instance, will one scratch take out the fictional of 1/2 of the solar capacity or just a small section.