Spray on Solar Cells

The idea of having Solar Energy can be a life changing event if you wish to save money in the long run.  The only down fall is that Solar Panels are very expensive.  Solar Panels are a natural, green source of power that can juice up any gear on the go.  To simply put it, you can charge and use electricity wirelessly and save a lot of money on batteries.  I just realized that I lied to you about only having one down fall.  The other down fall is the fact that current products with solar energy are very bulky and large in size.  Since most products are large and tough to carry around for portable use, why use them?

Researchers at the University of Alberta are working on a project to put itty bitty solar cells inside a material that can be sprayed on, rolled out or even sewn on to fabric and other surfaces.  The implications of this are huge for public works, emergency services, and hopefully consumer products.  How awesome would this be?  I would LOVE to possibly go out to buy a can or clear spray with solar cells in the spray to power one of my devices.  That just seems so futuristic that it’s possible.

Picture this: I go to the store to purchase the iPad 2 and come home and spray the case with the solar spray.  Now, I would never have to worry about the device dying on me and I would have an endless power supply for my iPad 2.  This could even work better for a Laptop if you are always on long flights.  How many times have you been on a flight when your laptop suddenly died?  I know this has happened to me and I get frustrated!

If this actually happened in the future, I would love to see Smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and even cars make use of this.  Anything that needs power could be coated with this amazing spray so why stop at just the basic consumer electronics?  This all seems to be possible according to some sources.  Unfortunately, the spray-on cells aren’t ready for commercial use yet, as it’s still in testing mode.

What do you think about this?  Could this be something that may actually happen?  If so, what gadgets would you spray?  Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

[via TechJohnson]