NanoMarkets, a Virginia-based industry analyst firm, has issued a new report on the potential market for organic photovoltaics. The company says the market for organic PV could reach as high as $1 billion by 2015, pretty impressive considering that the technology hasn't really hit the market yet.

The advantages of organic PV, compared to traditional panel technology, are that it's lighter, more flexible, lower cost, and easier to manufacture. Not to mention that it doesn't need to be made with pricey silicon and its non-toxic (hence, the organic). The material also has the potential to be printed into sheets with special silicon inks, which could send the cost of solar plummeting faster than Hillary's campaign - ok, not that fast.

The NanoMarket study says that building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) - building materials with solar inside - will account for almost 1/2 the organic PV market. The best OLEDs, organic/inorganic hybrids, are squeezing out about 11% efficiency in the lab, only 2-4% shy of commercial PV panels. Even better, the authors say that the integration of fullerenes could double the efficiency within a couple of years. Man, those buckyballs can do anything.

With some leaps in technology, like increasing its useful lifetime, OLED solar could take over the industry. Traditional PVs are bulky and, let's be honest, only beautiful because of what they are. The demand for sun power you can feel, but can't see will only grow over time andBIPV just make sense. Why blight the landscape with endless acres of solar panels, when the juice can be produced in the big cities, where it's needed most?

bonus link:
- this presentation from some workshop has a great description of OPV technology.