These powerful solar panels are as thin as a human hair

A new development from MIT can quickly and easily turn any surface into a power source. These thin-film solar cells weigh about 100x less than conventional solar cells while generating about 18x more power-per-kg.

A material thinner than human hair could slash carbon emissions

Osmoses, an MIT spinout co-founded by 2019-2020 MIT Energy Fellow Francesco Benedetti, aims to reduce industrial carbon emissions and improve carbon capture by using a membrane material that’s thinner than human hair. “We envision applying our technology to increase the sustainability of existing infrastructure,” he says.