{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Affordable, flexible solar power technologies' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c424d8eafeecae1667f4' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c424d8eafeecae1667f4' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nAffordable, flexible solar power technologies\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP TelevisionSan Francisco, California - December, 18 20121. Low angle solar panels on roof of Chinatown Public Health Centre 2. Charles Sheehan walking next to solar panels 3. Profile Charles Sheehan 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Charles...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eSan Francisco, California - December, 18 2012\u003cbr/\u003e1. Low angle solar panels on roof of Chinatown Public Health Centre \u003cbr/\u003e2. Charles Sheehan walking next to solar panels \u003cbr/\u003e3. Profile Charles Sheehan \u003cbr/\u003e4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Charles Sheehan, Communications Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Here in San Francisco we are very interested in the cheapest panels that produce the most power, and every year, those panels get cheaper and they produce more power. And we're also piloting some of the latest technology to see if it has other applications for other rooftops here throughout San Francisco.\"\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eSan Francisco, California - December, 12 2012\u003cbr/\u003e5. Wide shot Stanford University campus, building with solar panels \u003cbr/\u003e6. Pan left of Stanford University PhD candidate, Michael Vosgueritchian \u003cbr/\u003e7. Close tiny solar cell \u003cbr/\u003e8. Close silicone squares on petri dish\u003cbr/\u003e9. Square coated with carbon nanotube solution \u003cbr/\u003e10. Vosgueritchian starts device \u003cbr/\u003e11. Close device spinning \u003cbr/\u003e12. Vosgueritchian takes panel out of device \u003cbr/\u003e13. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Vosgueritchian, PhD Candidate, Stanford University:\u003cbr/\u003e\"So we have demonstrated the first solar cell that is entirely composed of carbon based materials, mainly carbon nanotubes, graphene and fullerenes. Previously people have demonstrated a carbon active layer but the electrodes are not composed of carbon. The electrode are composed of what electrodes are typically composed of which is some kind of metal or some kind of transparent conducting oxide, which have their disadvantages in that they cannot be used in flexible applications, they tend to be expensive, so we want to use alternative types of electrodes, specifically carbon electrodes, because they are solution processable and they can be potentially made in a cheap manner.\"\u003cbr/\u003e14. Close frame for spraying on carbon nanotubes \u003cbr/\u003e15. Mid of vial, pan right to Vosgueritchian holding vial of carbon nanotube solution \u003cbr/\u003e15. Mid of Mid Vosgueritchian spraying carbon nanotube solution \u003cbr/\u003e16. Close silicone panel with carbon nanotube rows \u003cbr/\u003e17. Mid Vosgueritchian at lab table \u003cbr/\u003e18. Close Vosgueritchian combines two layers to make demo solar panel \u003cbr/\u003e19. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Vosgueritchian, PhD Candidate, Stanford University:\u003cbr/\u003e\"So right now we have a kind of a proof of concept demonstration of a working solar cell. Our efficiencies are not competitive for industrial use. So we're working on improving the efficiency of our solar cells by improving the design of our structure of our solar cell in addition to using different materials that would absorb the light better, that would be more efficient at separating the holes in the electrons, that would be more efficient at collecting the charges. We hope that we can start producing solar cells that have efficiencies above one percent that can be then looking to realistic applications.\"\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eSan Francisco, California - December, 18 2012\u003cbr/\u003e20. Various set up of Mike McGehee\u003cbr/\u003e21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mike McGehee, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering:\u003cbr/\u003e\"You know right now the world record is 12 percent efficiency and probably needs to be more like 15 or 16 percent efficient so we're getting close. And it lasts six years, and it would certainly be better if it lasted twenty-five years. If you want to compete with the electricity you can get from the grid, you would need the higher efficiency and the lifetime, but if you want to be off-grid and you want portable power, then it's much closer to being ready.\"\u003cbr/\u003e22. Close McGehee opens pen with flexible solar material inside \u003cbr/\u003e23. Tilt up flexible solar materials \u003cbr/\u003e24. Close flexible solar panel \u003cbr/\u003e25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mike McGehee, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering:\u003cbr/\u003e\"I think you'll see people stacking solar cells on top of each other and one will be designed to harvest light in one part of the solar spectrum and another will be designed to harvest another part and you can get more of the power when you do that, and you know that's how the efficiencies will go up.\"\u003cbr/\u003e26. Low angle solar panels on roof of Chinatown Public Health Centre\u003cbr/\u003eSunlight in San Francisco is plentiful, but harnessing it efficiently can be quite a trick. \u003cbr/\u003eNow researchers at Stanford University are looking at ways of improving solar cells, and experimenting with different combinations of materials to make the ultimate device to capture the sun's rays and turn them into energy.\u003cbr/\u003eSan Francisco city wants to capitalise on its sunshine. \u003cbr/\u003eThese solar panels are on the roof of a public health centre, and city authorities want to harness the latest technology to generate power. \u003cbr/\u003eCharles Sheehan, Communications Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission says the commission installed its first array in 2004 and is always looking for the most efficient technology.  The Commission has 7.4 MW of power produced by a total of 14 arrays, Sheehan says.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Here in San Francisco we are very interested in the cheapest panels that produce the most power, and every year, those panels get cheaper and they produce more power. And we're also piloting some of the latest technology to see if it has other applications for other rooftops here throughout San Francisco.\"\u003cbr/\u003eScientists are continually trying to find out how to make solar panels more affordable, and with many solar cells made using rare metals that require mining, much of the cost can be traced to materials.\u003cbr/\u003eThat's why researchers at Stanford University are looking into how to use carbon to harvest energy from the sun and ultimately make cheaper solar cells.\u003cbr/\u003eMichael Vosgueritchian, a graduate student in the Bao Research Group at Stanford, has developed a tiny solar cell made entirely from carbon.\u003cbr/\u003eUsing different types of carbon - carbon nanotubes, fullerenes and graphene - the group has put together a very preliminary version of a solar cell made with inexpensive materials and manufacturing techniques.\u003cbr/\u003eIn the early stages, the Bao group's carbon solar cells have less than 1 percent efficiency, meaning they capture less than a hundredth of the solar energy that hits its surface, compared with the 14-18 percent that is expected of typical polycrystalline silicon solar cells.\u003cbr/\u003eThe first step in the process is to coat the base layer with a carbon nanotube solution.\u003cbr/\u003e\"So we have demonstrated the first solar cell that is entirely composed of carbon based materials, mainly carbon nanotubes, graphene and fullerenes. Previously people have demonstrated a carbon active layer but the electrodes are not composed of carbon. The electrodes are composed of what electrodes are typically composed of, which is some kind of metal or some kind of transparent conducting oxide, which have their disadvantages in that they cannot be used in flexible applications, they tend to be expensive, so we want to use alternative types of electrodes, specifically carbon electrodes, because they are solution processable and they can be potentially made in a cheap manner,\" Vosgueritchian says.\u003cbr/\u003eAnother component of the solar cell is a layer of a different type of carbon nanotube solution, applied in tiny rows.\u003cbr/\u003e\"So right now we have a kind of a proof of concept demonstration of a working solar cell. Our efficiencies are not competitive for industrial use. So we're working on improving the efficiency of our solar cells by improving the design of our structure of our solar cell in addition to using different materials that would absorb the light better, that would be more efficient at separating the holes in the electrons, that would be more efficient at collecting the charges. We hope that we can start producing solar cells that have efficiencies above one percent that can be then looking to realistic applications,\"\u003cbr/\u003eVosgueritchian says.\u003cbr/\u003eWhile Vosgueritchian's work is far from the marketplace, consumers are already looking for cheaper ways to include solar in their energy mix.\u003cbr/\u003eStanford Professor Michael McGehee researches solar cells made from conductive polymers. \u003cbr/\u003eThese types of solar cells, also called organic solar cells, are approaching the level of efficiency they need in order to be competitive in the power marketplace.\u003cbr/\u003e\"You know right now the world record is 12 percent efficiency and probably needs to be more like 15 or 16 percent efficient so we're getting close. And it lasts six years, and it would certainly be better if it lasted twenty-five years. If you want to compete with the electricity you can get from the grid, you would need the higher efficiency and the lifetime, but if you want to be off-grid and you want portable power, then it's much closer to being ready,\" McGehee says.\u003cbr/\u003eMcGehee's group has developed different types of thin film solar cells that can be used on bags and portable electronics, including a pen with a solar band inside that gathers enough energy to charge a cell phone.\u003cbr/\u003eMcGehee says new developments will come from combining different types of solar cells to capture different parts of the light spectrum.\u003cbr/\u003e\"I think you'll see people stacking solar cells on top of each other and one will be designed to harvest light in one part of the solar spectrum and another will be designed to harvest another part and you can get more of the power when you do that, and you know that's how the efficiencies will go up,\" McGehee says.\u003cbr/\u003eSunlight is easy to find, but 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