The solar energy movement is growing by leaps and bounds, and many, if not all, of us in the green scene are widely in favor of implementing more solar power where appropriate, as one way to cleanly generate power and future-proof our energy costs.
And solar solutions are being developed from a variety of angles, from personal solar chargers to off-grid solar systems to residential solar arrays to utility-scale solar plants.
However, not all of the solar power solutions are equivalent or appropriate for all situations, so knowing some of the details about solar energy, such as the differences between monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells, and the pros and cons of thin film solar cells, as well as how solar power systems work, can all help you as a potential solar customer or product developer.
Thin film solar cells are one of the most adaptable solar technologies in our near future, due to their ability to be used in a much wider variety of applications, such as on the surfaces of gadgets, or windows, or roofs of vehicles, where the heavier weight of traditional glass solar panels doesn’t work.
In this short film from the Boston Museum of Science, our host Han Solar introduces us to the world of thin film solar cells:
“Han Solar learns about new research into thin films for solar photovoltaics in this brief hybrid docu-mation. Produced by Joel Jean and Sarah Luppino of MIT’s Center for Excitonics, a U.S. DOE Energy Frontier Research Center, during their participation in the Museum of Science Research Communication Lab in January 2014.”
