Nicole Kuepper`s Inkjet-Printed Solar Cells: The World’s Cheapest | Solar Power | The Green Optimistic

Nicole Kuepper, a 23 year-old Australian scientist has invented a method of making cheap solar cells out of simple materials, that any DIY-er could find in his home.

She has painted a silicon wafer with something like nail polish, then she put the wafer in a modified inkjet printer, and printed a high resolution pattern with a solution that dilutes the nail polish, like acetone. After that, she metalized the entire thing with an aluminum spray and put it into an oven at about 550°F (more or less the temperature at which you bake the pizza), and voilà! There’s the world’s cheapest silicon solar cell!

Watch the video, and if you find out more about her invention of the patterns involved, remember to place a comment here on GreenOptimistic.com, so we can find out how to do that ourselves.

YouTube - Solar Star: Nicole Kuepper

Exciting find! Sounds like great things coming from the land down under!

Great to be reminded that OZ is not all kids polishin their surf boards and hangin out at surf clubs - not that I aint done all o' them things myself. Articulate girl!

No, we just do that during the day. At night we have an hour or so before we hit the town where we can do some work.

I posted two comments (waiting for moderation).

I pointed out this thread, so we'll see if Nicole really
wants to get this technology out because it will
happen here.

WOW!! Now that ia a girl that is going to make a difference.

Woman should be president Ask peter L

I want to marry her

Not sure if this was posted but...

There are some juicy tidbits on the wiki

Nicole Kuepper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyone want to pay to read the article?

ScienceDirect - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells : Forming openings to semiconductor layers of silicon solar cells by inkjet printing