Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
Benjamin: Just how do you mean that, sir?

Solarmer Plastic Solar Panels (image from Solarmer)

While plastics surely have changed the world over the past 42 years, Mr. McGuire could hardly have imagined their application in solar technology.

A California startup firm, Solarmer, has been making impressive progress with plastic organic photovoltaic (PV) cells.  This month, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory confirmed that the plastic solar cells have broken an efficiency record of 7.9% – and Solarmer is aiming to get to 10% conversion by the end of 2010.

As explained on its official website, transparent, flexible plastic solar panels represent the “next wave” in solar energy:

These solar panels are opening the door for a wide range of new application areas in renewable energy, which are not currently addressable with conventional silicon solar panel technology. Our company’s solar panels have the potential to reduce the cost of renewable energy down to 12-15 cents/kWh and less than $1/Watt, which means plastic solar panels will be the first in solar capable of generating electricity on par with conventional fuel costs.

Solarmer’s use of plastic as the active material to convert solar energy into electricity is practical on several levels.  Not only is it a low-cost material, but plastic has extraordinary light absorption capability.  The plastics layer in the solar cell is only a few tenths of a micrometer thick – much thinner than in a silicon cell.  Solarmer is also cutting costs by using inexpensive printing techniques during the plastic solar cell manufacturing process, which results in reduced cost of equivalent energy (a fraction of that of silicon technology).  Overall, less energy is required to make the plastic solar cells than “traditional” PV cells.

While the prospects of flexible applications and low cost of solar energy are exciting, you won’t be able to buy the organic plastic PV cells (OPV cells) until next year.  Solarmer is currently working on roll-to-roll technology for use in the manufacturing process, and will bring a few products to market later in 2010.

Can you imagine… plastics used in solar technology?  Mr. McGuire and Benjamin would be so impressed….