MIT has developed ultra-light and ultra-thin solar cells, and the energy revolution should mention solar street light-li

MIT researchers have developed the world's lightest and thinnest solar cells. The solar cell is light enough and thin enough to be placed in a soap bubble without it bursting. Due to their small enough physical size, solar cells have the potential to be embedded in many objects, such as paper, clothing, and spaceships. In a wearable device, the solar cell is so light that it cannot even be seen by the wearer. The research team has spent several years finding new ways to make solar cells. Vladimir Bulovi? and his team have found a way to combine three separate processes: making the solar cell, making the substrate that supports the solar cell, and making the protective coating for the ring mirror. As a result, they not only developed the lightest and thinnest solar cells, but also the energy efficiency of the solar cells they developed when the power-to-weight ratio was taken into account. In general, silicon-based solar modules can produce 15 watts per kilogram, and the new solar cells were shown in demonstrations to output 6 watts per gram, a 400-fold increase in performance. The actual use is more complicated. The power-to-weight ratio is very important in aviation and space, and the new solar cells can be used in high-altitude Internet balloons, spacecraft, and satellites. The new solar cells could also be used in some real-world environments, such as in smartphones, which harvest energy from the sun, and batteries can be embedded in smart clothes and smart paper. 'The new solar cell is so light that you might not even know it exists, and it can fit in a T-shirt or a notebook,' Bulovi? said in an interview. 'The battery can be used as an accessory to an existing architecture.' It should be pointed out that the new solar cell is still in the proof-of-concept stage, but its engineering and manufacturing processes are sound, so it is entirely possible for real commercial use. 'How many miracles are needed to scale applications?' Bulovi? said. 'There is a lot of work ahead, but no miracles are needed.'