What are the benefits of flexible solar panels for me?

[Image appears of Jyothi Ramamurthy sitting at a table and talking to the camera and the camera zooms in and then out on Jo talking and text appears: Jyothi Ramamurthy, Scientist]

Jyothi Ramamurthy: Hi, my name’s Jo and I’d like to talk to you about flexible solar panels and what they could mean for your everyday life.

[Images move through of a plant in a pot and then a solar powered model car and text appears: Cool ways you could use flexible solar]

[Image changes to show Jo sitting at a desk talking and then the image shows Jo picking up a roll of solar film and holding it up and the camera zooms in on the roll of film]

These solar films are made up of five electro-active layers. By electro-active I mean that we use chemicals that can transport an electric charge.

[Camera zooms out on Jo sitting at the desk and talking and then the camera zooms in on Jo’s face as she talks and then the camera zooms out to show Jo talking while seated behind the desk]

So, we deposit these layers using common printing and coating methods, for example, screen printing, which is the same type of method that is used to put designs on to t-shirts.

[Camera zooms in on Jo talking and holding up the roll of solar film]

Even though there’s five layers on this printed solar film it’s less than a millimetre thick.

[Camera zooms out on Jo seated at the desk holding up the roll of solar film and talking to the camera again and then the camera zooms in on Jo’s face as she talks]

This technology is so lightweight and flexible that it can be used for all sorts of applications that silicon solar panels aren’t suited to.

[Camera zooms out and then in several times on Jo talking to the camera again and holding up the roll of solar film in her hand as she talks]

It could be integrated into a tent or a laptop bag to charge your computer on the go, or a solar integrated beach umbrella that could charge your mobile phone on the sand while you’re swimming in the ocean.

[Music plays and the CSIRO logo and text appears on a blue screen: CSIRO, Australia’s innovation catalyst]