Solar Power, Panels, Charging, Etc.`

[ebb]

Thinfilm solar was invented 30 years ago -
yet already available for barn roofs true peel and stick inkjet printed solar film has not arrived in our niche market.

The oil and silicon crunch hopefully will put some wings on this technology.
I don't bet on it, being a cynic.
Solar energy seems to attract the most conservative research and development and product imagination in the western world. Its almost as if they are more interested in piggybacking into silicon markets than perfecting the technology. Even the acronym CIGS (for copper-indium-gallium-selenide) has a negative addictive quality.

The time is overdue for pasting featherweight energy making films on hatches and windows. We'll be sticking semi-conductors on mast and boom, on the dodger and on the cabin top.
There'll be simple connectors, direct sun won't be needed for fully charging our AGM's, and there are MBA's right now figuring out how much to stick us for it.
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Paper thin (probably more like cardboard thick) roll up silicon panels are available now. Powerfilm (IOWA SOLAR) is one product. They buiild their panels on plastic rather than glass. Silicon is considered clean, using no highly toxic cadmium that other thin film panels use. The silicon shortage has ended, and while it may get cheaper for manufacturers, it's unlikely that panels will get cheaper for us. Silicon costs more to manufacture into panels and is 1/2 as efficient as CIGS in converting sun to electricity. Little ships need efficient sun energy converters - in ounces not pounds.
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However you will still find Don Casey saying that thin film (rigid or bendy) are 1/2 as efficient as crystaline silicon. While crystaline panels themselves are only 10% efficient at collecting energy and converting it to juice. Warrenties for crystaline panels run 20yrs. Thin film 2 to 5 years. But we may be entering a new age where high oil will push solar to the forefront and innovation will become rapid. And hopefully cheaper.

OZsolar out of Sweden has 25W thin (3mm) film panels you can apply directly to the deck or hull(!). Sizes are 27.2" X 13.6" and 52.8" X 7.2" and 24" X 17".
All 25W and if my conversion is correct 490grams = 16 ounces each. So change is happening. What's the warranty (life expectancy) on these? Are they CIGS or silicon. I can see a solar bra on Little Gull's cabin nose like a Porsche! These seem like handy sizes. And imco as Ariel Cruisers planning our electrical needs we have to start at a minimalist 100 Watt level ( in terms of solar collector surface area) and par it down from there if we have to....

Won't be long we'll have solar panels we can tie onto the lifelines with the lifetime of sunbrella.
Or how about sails being solar collectors?
"Honey, unfurl the small jib we need to charge the Engel!"