Harnessing Solar Power is a constantly evolving business. From requiring a full building top to be covered in solar cells to produce enough electricity to power a heater, to having a hand held solar cell that can power your remote controlled car, there’s been a constant shift in how scientists are harnessing the energy of the sun.

Now the scientists at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo  have come up with a new type of solar cell which can work even when drenched. The ultra-thin photovoltaic device is coated on both sides with stretchable and waterproof films. This allows the solar cell to keep providing electricity even when it is wet, stretched or compressed.

They are working on a way to make solar cells wearable on clothing so that they may be able to power health monitoring sensors. These could become early warning devices for patients who are prone to a specific type of ailment. So far it was not possible to have a cell that was robust enough to survive in both wet and dry conditions.

Now these energy efficient solar cells made of a material called PNTz4T, are likely to provide a solution to this problem. The commercial applications of this science project are many and varied.