The US has invented a way to print solar cells on fabric to make any surface an energy source

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created ultra-thin fabric-based solar panels that can easily turn any surface into an energy source. The novelty has the ability to produce 18 times more energy per kilogram of its weight than conventional panels.

The unique solar panels can be installed, for example, on rescuers' raincoats, which means they can generate energy without significant physical exertion. The technology for the production of the lightest solar cells was developed 6 years ago, but it was complicated because it involved the deposition of substances in a vacuum. The MIT team has improved this process to enable commercial production of such panels in the future.

Experiments have made it possible to approach the laboratory production of the thinnest solar cells in a fairly simple way — with the help of «electronic» paints that are applied through stencils and stamps. The paints and electrodes are applied in layers to a substrate with a thickness of only 3 microns. Then the finished solar panel, which is less than a human hair wide, is fixed on a synthetic fabric substrate.

At the moment, the scientists are not ready to transfer the development to commercial production — a lot of research and work is needed to improve the characteristics of the thinnest solar panels.

A few days ago, MIT scientists set an absolute world record for the speed of data transmission from space to Earth. The TBIRD equipment, the size of a shoebox, transmitted information from space at 100 Gbps. While the maximum data transfer rate of Starlink is 500 Mbps.

As the experts explained, Starlink satellite Internet communicates with a ground station via a radio channel for data transmission, and the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system uses a laser beam for this purpose. Due to its higher frequency, the laser beam can transmit more data per unit of time.