PV Gap

Kristen Said:

What about the new plastic solar panels?

We Answered:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200…

That article says it will be five to seven years before they are mass produced. You won't be able to get them until then, and even if you could get them, they will be very expensive. 6 m^2 (about how much would be needed to power a car, MINIMUM) of Gallium Arsenide solar cells (efficiency of about 28%) still costs at least $300,000 and these will be much more expensive.

So, for now, this is not feasible. We do not know much about how the final product will perform. Even if these cells do well, you still need to solve the problem of finding fast-recharging, safe, high-power, high-capacity batteries that will be durable and last many charge-recharge cycles. Yes, I realize that the new electric cars have good batteries, but they still don't have the capacity to match a gas-powered car in range. Filling up a gas powered car takes just a few minutes, recharging a battery takes hours.

Also, you do not paint / coat with solar cells to put them on a car. They are objects by themselves that must be attached in some manner (in fact, a manner strong enough so that suction from wind flowing over the car does not pull them off). In addition, they are very delicate and whoever attempts to mass produce a solar car must come up with a way of protecting them that will both protect the cells and let enough light through to power the car.

Lester Said:

What are some of the best places to find quality "tabbed solar cells" online?

We Answered:

You can look on eBay for sellers. that way you can check there rating. Most of your DIY solar ebooks suggest eBay.