Solar panels that can be printed out like newspapers and rolled up to fit in your pocket are one step closer thanks to a new development by the national science agency.

CSIRO has opened a $6.8 million facility in Clayton, Victoria, to take its printed flexible solar panel technology out of the lab and into the real world.

Printable solar cell technology

Printing solar cells involves suspending advanced solar materials called perovskite in ink. The ink can then be printed onto long continuous rolls of flexible film made of plastic that conducts electricity.

In March this year, the CSIRO team reached a milestone, achieving a world-first efficiency level of 15.5 per cent. That breakthrough puts the printed panels roughly on par with the capabilities of common rooftop solar panels, most of which sit between 14 per cent and 18 per cent efficiency.

Laboratory to fabrication

The leader of CSIRO's Renewable Energy Systems Group, Dr Anthony Chesman, told ABC News Breakfast this new facility was aimed at taking the next step towards commercial production.

"With the printed photovoltaics facility, we're now bridging the gap between what we do in the lab and what we can potentially do in industry to get it out into the hands of people," Dr Chesman said.

"Our new system is highly automated.

"The multiple printing and laminating steps are performed in a single continuous operation, which significantly cuts down on production costs and the up-front investment needed to get started."

The new facility can produce 14,000 test solar cells a day to fine-tune their design and performance.

A solar panel in your pocket

So, if the CSIRO can print out flexible, lightweight solar panels like newspapers, do we need rooftop solar anymore?

Dr Chesman says printed flexible solar is not intended to replace silicon rooftop panels, but rather to complement them.

"We know silicon solar cells are fantastic for a whole range of applications, but really, there's some places where they're not great," he said.

"Think about in greenhouses or polytunnels. There'll be instances where you do want to coat those with solar panels to absorb light, but normal solar cells just won't be suitable.

"This is where we might be able to fill that gap."

Dr Chesman's team has sent flexible solar panels to space to see if they can power a satellite. They also have prototypes for consumer electronics and recreational use.

"Think about camping. Also defence, disaster relief — where we have to get solar panels to people quickly, where they're cut off from existing power supplies — and agriculture", he added.

What's next?

The team is now seeking application ideas and industry partners to take the technology to full-scale production.

"We're great at developing the technology, but it's really the end user that best knows how this can be applied in the real world," he said.

"So, we want people to contact us with their ideas about how we can use that to generate electricity, just more broadly than we ever have before."