With the advancement of a new micro solar cell, sequined dresses of the future may not just indicate a fashionista on the loose, but instead, an environmentally conscious go-getter with a fully charged cell phone.

The scientists at Sandia National Laboratories, makers of all things sci-fi, have created tiny snow-flake looking solar cells (pictured below) for possible applications in textiles and clothing. These cells are being designed to be less expensive and have greater electronic efficiencies than the current cells on the market. The micro cells require cutting edge manufacturing techniques to ensure quality. Even so, their miniscule size makes it so that there is a minimal loss of power production if one were to be damaged. Compare this to today’s large rectangular solar panels, where if one goes down, the whole unit has a huge loss in power production. Instead with these new cells if one went down it would just be a small percentage of the overall grid.

This is defiantly a technology to watch. I see a future of sparkling rooftops, glittering light poles, and fashionable sequined shrugs. What do you see? What would you make with solar powered sequins? Leave a comment and let us know.

Source: Inhabitat

Dress image from stellarmagazine