Image Courtesy: The Guardian
Australian researchers have developed ultra-lightweight solar cells that can be printed onto flexible plastic film using a process similar to printing the country’s polymer banknotes. The technology could expand the use of solar power to applications where traditional glass panels are impractical, including wearable devices, disaster relief, and even spacecraft.
The breakthrough comes from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, which has spent more than a decade developing printable perovskite solar cells. Unlike conventional silicon panels, the cells are produced using roll-to-roll printing, where multiple layers of solar material are printed as inks onto continuous sheets of plastic. The lightweight film can be rolled up, attached to backpacks, or integrated into buildings and satellites.
Traditional silicon solar panels require energy-intensive manufacturing, including melting purified silicon at temperatures above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. CSIRO’s printed cells instead use perovskite, a light-absorbing material that can be deposited at room temperature. Researchers also replaced expensive gold and silver electrodes with carbon-based inks, reducing production costs while simplifying manufacturing.
In 2024, the team achieved a record 15.5% power conversion efficiency for a single fully printed perovskite cell and 11% for a larger 50-square-centimeter module. While these figures remain below the roughly 20% efficiency of many commercial silicon panels, they represent a significant improvement over previous fully printed flexible solar modules, which typically reached only 1% to 2%.
The technology is designed to complement, not replace, conventional rooftop solar. Its greatest advantage lies in portability and flexibility, making it suitable for remote mining operations, emergency response, military applications, construction sites, and wearable electronics where rigid panels cannot be used.
CSIRO also tested the durability of the printed solar film in space by sending it aboard Optimus-1, Australia’s largest privately built satellite, in March 2024. Researchers hope the lightweight material could eventually reduce the weight of satellite power systems and support future space missions.
To help move the technology toward commercialization, CSIRO opened a AU$6.8 million printed photovoltaic facility in Melbourne in late 2024. The agency is now seeking industry partners to scale production and bring the flexible solar technology to market.
