Technology

Solar power is one of the most environmentally friendly sources of electricity—it does not produce any harmful emissions, and the Sun provides an essentially inexhaustible source of energy. However, the materials for traditional solar panels are expensive. As technology has improved, the efficiency of solar cells has gone up and manufacturing costs have come down, but the cost of producing electricity from solar energy remains relatively high compared to conventional sources. New solar technologies, such as SUNTCO’s “solar liquid paint and coatings,” will be able to reduce the costs of solar electricity to make it more competitive and accessible. This liquid solar coating approach uses a combination of electrochemical and nanotechnology (technology at a very small scale) to develop nanoparticles made from inexpensive materials that can convert sunlight to electricity in new ways. When sunlight strikes these tiny structures, electrons are knocked loose, similar to the way traditional silicon solar cells work. However, instead of installing expensive solar panels on a roof, the entire roof would be “coated” with this inexpensive technology as well as “painting” the outside walls of any home thus generating 250% more power than any solar power installation and at 65%-90% efficiency, versus the 10-21% efficiency of solar panels. Essentially this paint and coating applications could eliminate your electric bill and provide much needed renewable power back to the grid as well to support grid conservation.