Hey, question for some solar panel expert.
Would it be possible to create a solar panel in the form of foil? I know flexible panels exists but I've only seen ones embedded in plastic like this:
Is the plastic somehow necessary for power generation or could the solar panel layer be sprayed directly on some sort of foil?
Or to put it another way: how densely could we pack a solar panel if we didn't care that much about durability?
Let's say I just want something that will last a month and maybe 100 unfolding-folding cycles. Would it be possible to fit it a box like this:
Not an expert. This has been done quite successfully for space applications. Granted they are only required to roll out once but they have to do so with near perfect reliability. There are quite a few makes and models but I'll reference the ones currently mounted on the ISS (ROSA made by Redwire) because you've probably seen pictures of them.
Their patent states that they use polymeric sheets or fiberglass meshes as a backing material.
Here they are in their packed up state:
And unpacked (the brownish "smaller" panels on the right, note that they are still longer than entire human modules):