Foldable solar panels are a new type of solar cell technology that combines the energy conversion capabilities of solar cells with the bendable properties of flexible materials. The main feature of this solar panel is that it can be bent and folded like paper, thus providing extremely high flexibility and portability. The development of foldable solar panels opens up new ways for the application scenarios of solar cells, especially in areas requiring lightweight, mobile energy solutions, such as wearable electronics, mobile communications, vehicle mobile energy, photovoltaic building integration, aerospace and so on.
The latest research results show that a research team at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a highly flexible monocrystalline silicon solar cell that can be folded like paper. This solar cell is only 60 microns thick, not only as thin as paper, but also can be bent and folded. Through high-speed camera observation, the research team found that the fracture of monocrystalline silicon solar cells under bending stress always starts from the “V” groove at the edge of the silicon wafer, so they innovated the edge smoothing treatment technology, processing the sharp “V” groove at the edge of the silicon wafer into a smooth “U” groove, changing the structural symmetry on the mesoscopic scale. This treatment significantly improves the flexibility of the silicon wafer, allowing the 60-micron thick monocrystal silicon solar cell to be folded, with a minimum bending radius of less than 5 mm, and can perform repeated bending at a bending Angle of more than 360 degrees.
In addition, this flexible monocrystalline silicon solar cell still maintains 100% power after 1,000 double-sided bending tests, showing excellent stability and durability. The large-area flexible photovoltaic modules developed by the research team have been successfully applied to near-space vehicles, photovoltaic building integration, vehicle-mounted photovoltaic and other fields, and have also been applied in the renewable energy power supply system of Antarctic research stations.
Foldable solar panels perform well when used outdoors, they usually have lightweight, easy to carry characteristics, suitable for outdoor camping, travel, emergency backup power and other scenarios. For example, the 200W monocrystal silicon folded solar panel launched by Guorui Sunshine adopts an efficient monocrystal silicon solution with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of ≥21.5%, which can provide stable power support in the outdoors and directly supply power to mobile phones, tablets, notebooks and other devices. In addition, these solar panels also have a certain degree of weather resistance, can be used in a variety of outdoor environments, such as anti-dust, waterproof splash, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance. User feedback shows that foldable solar panels have become standard for outdoor camping because they are not only good-looking, but also practical and can provide power for outdoor activities in the presence of light.
The advantages of foldable solar panels:
1.High flexibility: Through special edge smooth processing technology, foldable solar panels can be bent and folded like paper, with a minimum bending radius of less than 5 mm and a bending Angle of more than 360 degrees, significantly improving the flexibility of silicon wafers
2.Lightweight and portability: Due to its flexible characteristics, foldable solar panels are easy to carry and transport, suitable for space applications, wearable electronics, mobile communications, vehicle mobile energy, photovoltaic building integration and other fields
3.Stable photoelectric conversion efficiency: During the bending and folding process of foldable solar panels, the photoelectric conversion efficiency remains unchanged, thanks to the smooth treatment is limited to the edge area of the silicon wafer, and does not affect the light absorption capacity of the surface and back of the silicon wafer
4.Wide application prospects: These advantages of foldable solar panels make them have a wide range of application potential in a variety of environments and devices, including but not limited to green buildings, portable power supplies, near space vehicles, building photovoltaic integration and vehicle PV
5.Feasibility of mass production: The research team has verified the feasibility of mass production of foldable solar panels on the mass production line, which lays the foundation for its commercialization and large-scale application
6.Environmental adaptability: Foldable solar panels can adapt to different environmental conditions, such as simulating the wind during a storm, showing strong environmental adaptability and stability
7.Cost effectiveness: With the maturity of technology and the expansion of production scale, the cost of foldable solar panels is expected to be further reduced, improving its market competitiveness
