In the current climate of soaring energy bills, constant talk of recession and impending environmental disaster. How refreshing would it be to hear you can save money and the environment in one go. Well this could soon be a reality!

Sheila Kennedy a U.S. expert in solar cell technology working at MIT, is pioneering technology coined “Soft Power” that uses textiles and other flexible materials as solar panels to capture sunlight and convert to energy to use within our homes.

“The soft power approach says there are some incredibly sensual, compelling, beautiful spaces and products that we can be producing using these emerging energy-harvesting materials,” Kennedy said.

The materials themselves look and move like cloth but do the same job as a solar panel, the thin-film photovoltaic material can either be prepared in a chemistry lab or can be found in nature. Kennedy and her team have calculated solar curtains could provide as much as 70 percent of the average electricity used by a typical household each day.

This technology is still in development with no one yet manufacturing the material on a commercial level. However once this technology takes off it could really revolutionise the way we obtain our energy.

Resource: CNN International