Stanford Researchers Develop Flexible Thin Film Solar Cell Stick-On Decals

One of the difficulties in using solar panels is that solar panels aren't exactly easy to install. Most are big, stiff, fragile, and inefficient. But now, engineers at Stanford have developed a peel-and-stick alternative that sounds more like a 3M Post-It note than a scientific invention. The goal was to create flexible, decal-like solar panels that could be placed on and peeled off like a Band-aid, so that you could place them on random windows and places where green energy is needed.


The new decals solve most of the issues that traditional solar panels presented, and while the technology is detailed in the via link, what you need to know is that this could pave the way for solar to be impactful in the mainstream. The real challenge will be scaling the peel-and-stick panels to larger sizes, potentially paving the way to place them on larger buildings where it can capture more sun, and in turn, more energy. And then, of course, scaling down to where these could be placed on smartphone cases in order to keep your phone juiced while you're out in the sun.