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20 SMT Magazine • January 2015 cells hold considerable promise for reducing the manufacturing costs of solar power. Scientists at the University of Toronto have recently announced a new method for spraying quantum dot solar cells onto flexible surfaces. They dream of coating anything from bicycle helmets to outdoor furniture one day. Quantum dots provide versatile photovoltaic material be- cause they have a band gap that can be tuned by altering the size of their nanoparticles, soak- ing up different parts of the solar spectrum. The team recorded solar efficiency of eight percent, way better than earlier sprayed photovoltaics and similar to flexible organic photovoltaic- coated (OPV) film though much less than that of commercially available glass panels. Accord- ing to the researchers, covering the roof of a car would generate 300W, comparing well with to- day's rigid patch on a car which offers 100W peak at best. A two-day conference, Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing, will address many of these issues in Berlin, Germany, April 28–29, 2015. It will concentrate on future components and smart materials for electric vehicles land, water and air. The conference will form a part of the major IDTechEx event covering relevant technologies such as structural electronics, printed electronics, 3D printing, in-mold elec- tronics, wireless sensors, Internet of Things, and energy harvesting including photovoltaics de- posited in new ways. The event will offer nine parallel conferences and an exhibition of over 150 stands plus many optional masterclasses on the days before and after. Among them will be a class on the electric vehicle markets and tech- nology and others on the specifics of electric vehicles. SMT THE rISE Of STruCTuraL ELECTrOnICS continues Dr. Peter Harrop is chairman of IDTechEx ltd. To contact him, click here. realtimewith.com CliCk To View Video interView i-Connect007 Guest editor Bob neves speaks with John yim, Vice chairman of HKPca, who explains how HKPca has become the largest show in the industry! HKPCa has Become One of the Largest Shows in the Industry! by Real Time with... HKPCA 2014 Feature