TechLink – US Navy grinding out flexible solar cells, wants business to take over

A team at the Naval Research Laboratory has invented a technique to shave solar cells so thin they can bend and now the lab is looking for an industry partner to scale up production.

The research is part of the U.S. military’s effort to find affordable solar cell technologies that help reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and traditional batteries for powering and charging devices.

“We developed low-cost cells to expand the range of application that solar cells can be used for, including unmanned aerial vehicles, mobile solar markets, and other military applications,” said David Scheiman, co-inventor and electrical engineer at the Navy lab. “Private industry could also integrate this technology into their products, such as homes and cars.”

By Troy Carter