Solar cells, electronic devices that convert sunlight into useful electricity, would be an important resource for powering future industrial bases or colonies on the moon. Alex Freundlich, research professor of physics, and Charles Horton, senior research scientist at the Texas Center for Superconductivity and Advanced Materials at UH, or TcSAM, are developing methods to manufacture huge solar cell arrays on the moon using materials from the lunar soil.

“The raw materials needed to make solar cells are present in the moon’s regolith,” says Freundlich, “Our plan is to use an autonomous lunar rover to move across the moon’s surface, to melt the regolith into a very thin film of glass and then to deposit thin film solar cells on that lunar glass substrate. An array of such lunar solar cells could then be used as a giant solar energy converter generating electricity,” Freundlich says. “These solar cells would have lower efficiencies compared to devices currently used on Earth, but by using such a large surface area, we could eventually generate enough electricity to supply a lunar base, support lunar manufacturing or colonies.” Another possible use for a lunar solar power system would be to generate electricity to beam back to the Earth for use in local electric grids. UH physicist David Criswell has spent 20 years developing such a plan.