Cheap Solar Paint Takes a Giant Step Closer to Reality

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

NextGen solar bets on affordable solar power from solar paintFor all the excitement over low cost solar power, much of it is still in the development stage backed by government resources and has yet to prove that it can compete on the market with cheap fossil fuels.   However some private investors are starting to bet on low cost solar in a big way.  Among them is tech specialist Len Batterson, whose startup  NextGen Solar is kicking into gear.

[social_buttons]

NextGen Solar will use nanoscale solar “paint” technology developed by Argonne National Laboratory, with the goal of lowering production costs while increasing efficiency compared to thin-film photovoltaic materials. Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!

Many Roads to Cost-Competitive Solar

From turnkey solar kits to the use of low-cost solar materials, there are many different angles from which to push solar into the competitive energy market.  A solar paint that can be economically applied to different surfaces is one solution.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is already working on a silicon based solar ink, and The University of Texas is developing spray-on solar cells.  According to chicagobusiness.com writer Paul Merrion, Argonne’s solar technology can be applied to many types of building surfaces, including windows.  It goes on like paint, then dries to form microscopic interconnected solar cells.

Affordable Solar Power in Action

If commercialization proves successful, solar paint and other forms of low-cost solar power will have an impact that goes beyond lowering utility costs for private property owners and renters.  Even in today’s market, solar power is helping to bring costs down in the subsidized housing sector.  It’s only a matter of time before low cost renewable energy becomes ubiquitous among all facilities owned or subsidized by the government, relieving taxpayers from the budget-sucking burden of fossil fuel utilities.

Image: Paint and light by Lomo-Cam on flickr.com.


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Tina Casey

Tina specializes in advanced energy technology, military sustainability, emerging materials, biofuels, ESG and related policy and political matters. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.

Tina Casey has 3261 posts and counting. See all posts by Tina Casey