China s foldable monocrystalline silicon solar panels

Crystalline silicon solar cells are known as a “sandwich” structure, meaning their wafer substrate – the middle layer – accounts for more than 99 per cent of the cell's thickness. Scientists around the world have been using various approaches to develop solar cells that are lighter, more flexible, highly efficient and commercially viable.

Silicon solar cells are the backbone of the world's solar-generated electricity, accounting for about 95 per cent of the solar cells in the photovoltaic market. As manufacturing and power generation costs have declined, solar cells have gained wider use in ground-mounted solar farms and distributed photovoltaics.

Research fellows from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed high-flexibility monocrystalline silicon solar cells to serve China's low-carbon development in a better way. (CGTN) Contact E-mail: Related Articles

The silicon solar cell has unprecedented flexibility, according to the paper. Measuring 60 micrometres, it can be folded like a sheet of paper. It can also withstand repeated bending, with a bend radius of less than 5 millimetres and bend angles exceeding 360 degrees. The researchers also conducted durability testing under different conditions.

Technology could be crucial step to wider uses in aerospace, drones and wearable smart devices New research led by a team of Chinese scientists has achieved the thinnest silicon solar cells ever – a flexible, paper-like material that converts light into electricity without sacrificing efficiency.

Lin H, Yang M, Ru X, et al. Silicon heterojunction solar cells with up to 26.81% efficiency achieved by electrically optimized nanocrystalline-silicon hole contact layers. Nat Energy, 2023 Liu W, Liu Y, Yang Z, et al. Flexible solar cells based on foldable silicon wafers with blunted edges. Nature, 2023, 617: 717–723 Correspondence to Rui Jia.