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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Follow the sun Cheap solar power might soon be possible thanks to a new type of flexible, organic solar panel developed by an EPSRC-sponsored research team at the University of Warwick and Molecular Solar Ltd. The team create their solar cells from an ultra-thin layer of gold deposited on to a flexible plastic film instead of the traditional method which uses glass. Molecular Solar has achieved and demonstrated a record voltage for organic photovoltaic cells, which could soon be used in a wide range of consumer electronics, such as e-readers and mobile phone chargers. With government support through EPSRC and the Technology Strategy Board, the company is now developing the very first prototypes for a global market estimated to be worth $100 billion by 2020.
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