backpacking solar panel

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Thin Film Solar Panels

Have you ever heard of thin film solar panels? If you are a solar energy system aficionado, you must have read about these great breakthroughs. If not, then this article will give you an idea of what they are and how amazing they can be. Thin film solar panels also called as "thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels" are a new innovation which has a potential in making solar energy system more affordable.

They use the same photovoltaic process that conventional solar panels do. Their PV cells have semiconductors where the sunlight interacts. Once interaction is made, electric current is produced. This energy may be used real-time or may be stored in batteries for later utilization. So, if they work just like the conventional solar systems, what's new about them? Well, the difference is obvious: they are thin.

The conventional solar panels use crystalline silicon as semiconductor materials. They produce electricity from the sunlight but they are labor-intensive to create. You see, every single cell has to be produced on a solo silicon wafer. This is what makes the panels very expensive. As you know, this is also the reason why they are not widely used. After all, not everyone has the buying capacity.

This is where thin film solar panels come into scene. They use semiconductors which are thinner than crystalline silicon. They can be mass-produced by the use of cheaper materials and automated systems. The process is almost three times less laborious than creating conventional crystalline silicon and this is what makes them a more affordable choice. For entrepreneurs who wish to get into the solar panel marketing business, the start-up capital would be lower. The more entrepreneurs venture into this business, the better for the consumers.

Why? Because the lower the prices of solar panels would be! You know what's another great thing about this thin film technology? It has made the solar cells a lot more compact and lightweight, so much so that they can sometimes be hardly recognizable. They have also become so flexible that you will not have to set up an elaborate structure just to hold your panels in place.

These days, you can integrate the thin film into your wall or roof and people wouldn't even notice it's there. Thin film solar panels for metal roofing are already available in the market as well as thin film composition for roof shingles. Presently, more portable solar energy systems are being produced to power up basic electronic devices used in daily life such as mobile phones, MP3 players, and GPS devices. Laptops and TVs can also now be run by thin film solar technology.

These miniature solar panels are compact and lightweight that you can install them in your backpack or slip into your purse. Who would have thought solar power can be this handy? Although they may still cost a lot these days, it won't surely take long before they become affordable to every average Joe (and Jane) who wishes to experience the revolution.

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