Question: How is it possible to make a solar panel so small but effective?

Edward Bovill answered on 20 Mar 2013:

The solar panels I make are only so small because it means I can make lots of them in one day to test out theories I have as to what will make them perform better.
The maximum efficiency (how much sunlight it converts into electricity) I have achieved with my solar panels is 5.5% – not very high compared to silicon solar panels (the ones you see on people’s roofs), which can get up to 20% efficient! This is because the materials I am using to make my solar panels are very new and not fully understood yet, which is why I’m doing research on them.
The main benefit of my plastic solar panels is that once they are commercialised and ready for the public to use, they will be far, far cheaper than silicon solar panels and can be made on much larger scales (the entire side of a building for example).