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By Jason Livingston-the operator of www.GreenLivingRocks.com where you can learn how to build a solar panel, build homemade windmills, and begin living green

Thin film photovoltaic solar panels are a newer, thinner type of solar panel that has the promise to make solar energy much more affordable. They rely on the same photovoltaic process that “thick” solar panels use. Put simply, the PV cell contains semiconductor material. Sunlight passes through and interacts with the semiconductor material, and creates an electric current. This electricity can be used immediately to power appliances in your home or business, or stored in batteries for later use.

So what’s so great about thin film solar panels? Well, thick solar panels (the original generation of solar panels, and the ones you are used to seeing), traditionally use crystalline silicon for the semiconductor material. It works as a way to create electricity from sunlight, but it’s labor-intensive to produce. Each cell has to be produced on an individual silicon wafer, one by one, which makes it expensive. This is the main reason that solar panels have not been widely affordable in the past.

However thin film photovoltaic cells use materials for their semiconductors that are much thinner than crystalline silicon. The “thin film” semiconductors can be mass produced using automated systems and less expensive materials. At this point, the process is almost 3 times less labor-intensive than the process for manufacturing the traditional crystalline silicon thick cell solar panels. So the cost to manufacture solar panels is coming down. This means it will be cheaper for new start-up businesses to enter the solar panel manufacturing market. And as more businesses produce and supply solar panels, prices will drop even further.

The “thin film” process also means that the solar cell is smaller, lighter weight, and can be applied to materials that are smaller, lighter weight and more flexible themselves. In fact, “thin film” technology has redefined the look of solar panels so much that you might not recognize them. Instead of needing a heavy and elaborate steel structure to hold a large array of thick silicon-based solar panels in place, the thin film panels can be integrated into the roof or wall itself.

Thin film composition roofing shingles and thin film panels for metal roofing are already commercially available and being used in construction. Smaller portable solar panel systems are being manufactured to power up your electronic devices. Cell phones, GPS devices, MP3 players and even televisions and laptops can now be powered with thin film solar technology. These portable thin film solar panels are small enough and light weight enough that you can “install” one on your backpack or carry one in your purse. And just like digital watches, which cost hundreds of dollars only a few decades ago, it won’t be long before the cost of solar panels will be so low that we’ll be buying them with our pocket change at the corner convenience store.