The National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), a top technology university in Formosa, recently introduced a newly developed solar cell mounted on a plastic substrate. Thin and light, this low-cost cell can be made to be like a plastic bag that can be folded into a pocket size. It can also be mass produced as in a printing process.

According to the leading researcher Chen Fang-chung, who is also an assistant professor of NCTU’s Department of Photonics, solar energy is an environmentally friendly form of energy that can be stored in cells and converted into electric power. Traditional solar cells, being manufactured from silicon, are bulky and heavy, and most importantly, costly. Therefore, they are not popular for household use.

In contrast, the organic solar cells developed by NCTU are made with light and thin plastic films, and do not require complex manufacturing facilities. These innovative cells can be mass produced in a process similar to printing, reducing production costs by at least 20 percent or even up to 80 percent compared to traditional cells. They have a record-high power conversion efficiency of 5.2 percent, the highest in the world in 2006, significantly higher than the average 4 percent of other organic cells.

 

Organic solar cells developed by NTCU are made with plastic films that can be mounted on glass or a flexible substrate that can be folded into a pocket size.

 

The solar cell is mounted on a transparent glass, as shown in the picture. However, Assistant Professor Chen Fang-chung pointed out that in the future it may be mounted on softer, flexible substrate that can be folded like a plastic bag into a pocket size. It may also be mounted on tents to provide an energy source for outdoor recreation. It is estimated that this new technology will be able to provide a low-cost, eco-friendly, and convenient energy source for extensive use in daily life in another three to five years.

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