Thin film has been the holy grail of solar technology: everyone is seeking it, but so far its market penetration is well under 5%, and its use in large-area applications, such as for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules large enough to power buildings, has barely developed. (Thin film light absorbers are about 1 micron thick and are less costly to produce, as compared to the silicon found in traditional solar PV modules, which at around 200 microns thick is still thinner than a human hair.)

So I was very interested to hear that Dr. W. S. Sampath, professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University (CSU), has developed a new, more streamlined production process that promises to reduce the cost of thin film even more. The company bringing his product to market is AVA Solar, who received a $3 million solar incubator grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative. I spoke to Dr. Sampath by telephone on Friday, and asked him how his technology is different from that of First Solar, currently the market leader.

“The difference is in the manufacturing process. It is much more streamlined and integrated, with fewer production steps, which brings down the manufacturing cost.” Dr. Sampath was careful to note that AVA Solar worked in collaboration with First Solar in developing the production process. “There is a huge demand, so it makes sense to work together.” In other words, when the world is beating a path to your door for a better solar mousetrap, it pays to be open and collaborate to achieve faster, better and cheaper solutions, so as to grow the market much faster.

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Over the past couple days, I've been hearing about a new charger, the Freeloader, that can power every gadget under, well, the sun. One of the problems associated with earlier chargers (you can see a review I did of one a year ago here) is that they're often lacking in the compatibility department. That, or you need to purchase additional dongles to use with your iPod or specific brand of phone.

The Freeloader is different because a.) it's cheap and b.) it comes with nearly everything you need to power everything you have. Sticking one of these in your backpack, glove compartment, or even as part of an emergency kit would probably serve the best purpose. According to the website, once charged this thing can power an iPod for 18 hours, a cell phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours, a PDA for 22 hours, and much more. The Freeloader can be fully charged in as little as five hours via the sun or three hours over USB. It will then hold its charge for about three months.

ShinyShiny has a great video review of the product. You can also visit the official site for more information and ordering options. I'd encourage everyone to give solar chargers a try. You might not use them daily, but in tight situations when you need power most, their value is priceless.