FLEXIBLE solar panels, thinner than a human hair or a sheet of paper, will soon be used by Australian soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan as a portable power source.
The solar cells, invented by researchers at the Australian National University, can be used to cover helmets, tents or clothing and recharge electronic gear such as night vision goggles.
They also have extensive potential in civilian applications, including recharging phones and computers, because a square metre of lightweight solar panel can generate 140 watts of power and yet be rolled up into a ball afterwards.
''A typical solar cell is about 0.2 millimetres thick, which is 200 micrometres - that's too thick to bend, it would shatter,'' the project's chief investigator, Andrew Blakers, said.
''But these cells are about 45 microns thick, so they are flexible and also about the same efficiency as commercial solar cells. By comparison, really fine quality merino wool is about 18 microns thick.''
In practice, many square metres of panel could be unfurled from a box about the same size as a wine cask. ''You are looking at being able to carry hundreds of watts of power generation around in a small space, so it's especially good for remote areas,'' Professor Blakers said.
''Other applications could include powering tracking devices attached to kangaroos or other animals.'' The ''sliver'' solar cells are being built in Idaho, in the US, by Transform, a company part-owned by the Australian utility Origin Energy.
An army spokesman, Major General John Caligari, said soldiers carried a large amount of battery-powered gear that needed recharging. ''The average soldier would carry around half a kilogram of batteries to operate radios, night vision devices, torches, communications,'' he said.
''If we were able to have a single source of power [without recharging batteries] … then we would be able to run all those electrical systems and reduce our weight significantly.''
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