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:
I think they do make what you're asking for, but they're not great.
Printed solar panels exist, and are super light weight, but they're only 10% as efficient as regular panels so you need 10x surface area to produce the same amount of electricity
Thanks, I haven't checked printed panels. I will take a look.