Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 11:15:55 AM - by Nate Lew

The Air Force may use more solar energy resources in the coming years with help from new and emerging technologies.

This week, researchers at the University of Washington reported that they are working on airborne solar cells that involve flexible film and a thin coating of glass with transparent electrodes. One application envisioned for the technology is keeping unmanned drones in the air for longer periods of time without refueling.

The technology also uses organic-based dyes, which have the potential to emerge in many different kinds of solar energy applications in the coming years because of the low cost and flexibility they can offer.

"Any airborne energy harvester must satisfy additional requirements, like weight and durability in airborne environments," said Dr. Minoru Taya of the University of Washington.

The team is also said to be studying whether the technology could be applicable to other Air Force vehicles and to what extent energy generated by the unmanned aircraft could actually be stored for later use. The researchers also cited a variety of engineering issues that remain to be worked out in the unmanned vehicle project.