Traditional solar cells start as polysilicon which is melted and infused with boron to create a semiconductor.
Additive manufacturing solar panels.
Then wafers of silicon are added to the surface and etched and electrical contacts.
Powered by aniwaa the australians are involved in true additive manufacturing right now printing the solar panels onto plastic and then hoping eventually to be able to print the materials.
The additive manufacturing integrated energy amie demonstration project is a fully integrated 3d printed house and vehicle.
Reducing the costs involved in generating solar energy and making it more accessible remains a challenge in the renewable energy industry.
Utilizing advanced manufacturing and rapid innovation it only took just one year to go from concept to launch.
We might even get the technology behind how they work.
Besides 3d printed solar.
Additive manufacturing has shown its promise to change the way how future energy system can be designed and delivered.
As a whole the solar industry from manufacturing all the way through sales and installation employed more than 250 271 americans in 2017.
It uses an integrated energy system that shares energy between a building and a vehicle.
We know solar panels as the futuristic looking black or blue rectangles that soak up sunlight and bring down our energy bills.