Beyond Belief
WHAT 
IS ELECTRICITY?
Electrical power from paint!
Paint is applied to steel cladding when it is passed through rollers during the manufacturing process. It is hoped that the same approach can be used to build up layers of a solar cell system on the steel. The researchers' aim is to produce cells that can be painted onto any flexible steel surface at a rate of 30-40m2 a minute.
Dr. Worsley of Swansea University in Wales believes that the potential for the product is immense.
He said: "The Corus Colours company produces around 100 million square metres of steel building cladding a year. If this was treated with the photovoltaic material, and assuming a conservative 5% energy conversion rate, then we could be looking at generating 4,500 gigawatts of electricity through the solar cells annually. That’s the equivalent output of roughly 50 wind farms."
»» Colourful idea sparks renewable electricity from paint ««.