The current situation for adding solar shingles to a roof is costly, unsightly, and overall far too expensive in comparison to traditional energy sources. But a new technology being developed on the west coast is planning to trade out the heavy and awkward glass solar units for new lightweight, flexible and affordable foil-style solar sheets.
Solar-sheeting would create a new way to embed the energy saver into traditional house shingles, awnings, and just about anything else around your house that you would want to wrap in foil.
For start-up companies like Nanosolar and Heliovolt, the possibilities for this new wave of solar film is endless.
No more boosting car batteries if you have solar film on the roof of your car, or keep your iPod fully charged on long walks with a thin layer of film on the back of your jacket. These are just a few of the results that could be a part of everyday life with the introduction of nanotechnology into the solar energy field.
Although this new development still has rigorous endurance testing to go through before it can be implemented for wide scale production, the message is clear: an affordable answer to personal solar energy units are on their way.
