These Flexible Solar Cells are 100 Times Thinner than Hair and Other Future Tech

#HappyThursday! We’re back with more future science and technology news from all over the world. Let’s get started with the latest digest for today.

These Flexible Solar Cells are 100 Times Thinner than Hair

A lot of research into solar power is largely concentrated on enhancing the performance of solar harvesting and reducing the size of the solar cell. In South Korea, at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, engineers have created flexible solar cells that are as thin as human hair - around 1 micrometer thick (that’s one millionth of a meter!)

“Wearable flexible electronics often require sustainable power sources that are also mechanically flexible to survive the extreme bending that accompanies their general use. In general, thinner microelectronic devices are under less strain when bent,” explains their study on AIP, “Systematic studies with four different types of solar microcells indicate that the vertical-type solar microcells, at only a quarter of the thickness of similarly designed lateral-type cells, generate a level of electric power similar to that of thicker cells.”

Constructing a House from Scratch in 24 Hours

After research had been carried out on how to convert carbon dioxide into concrete using 3D printing, a tiny house was built in Texas by a 3D printer in less than 24 hours as part of a project that was funded by Engineer Alex Le Roux and a Michigan-based architecture company. The printer, called Vesta, has an interior of 7 x 4 square feet and operates at an impressive speed of .3 feet per second.

“This latest print has been a continuation of the previous efforts building concrete-substrate 3D printers. After the first printer was built, people reached out with interest in using printers or using the printer’s services, and it thus became clear that it might make sense to build a business around this technology,” says Le Roux.

He seems very optimistic about the future. “Moving forward, we will finish the V3 Vesta Printer, begin printing on a fully-up-to code home in Michigan in August, and then perhaps consider raising a more serious round of funding if traction continues at this pace,” he exclaimed.

Norway to be Carbon-Neutral by 2030

After following the footsteps of countries taking action to drastically reduce carbon emissions, Norway has vowed to be completely carbon-neutral by 2030.

“This is a direct response to the commitments Norway took on by ratifying the Paris agreement and means that we will have to step up our climate action dramatically,” states Rasmus Hansson, leader in parliament of the Norwegian Green Party.

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