POTSDAM — In a lab at Clarkson University's Center for Advanced Materials Processing, two students are depositing microscopic silver particles into tiny lines on a blue silicon wafer.

On the computer screen, nozzles so small they can't be seen by the human eye are dripping even blobs of the conductive material.

Using a souped-up inkjet printer, Meaghan B. McMurran and Krishna C. Balantrapu, graduate students in professor Dan V. Goia's lab, are developing prototypes of what they hope will be an advanced solar cell that can be used for both commercial and military products.

"What we're talking about is not quite science fiction, but it's a futuristic vision, to be sure," said Suryadevara V. Babu, director of the center. "It's another example of something that could come out of defense needs that could be expanded for civilian use."

The technology relies on the same principles that power the small solar panels on your handheld calculator or the large ones on your neighbor's roof, Ms. McMurran and Mr. Balantrapu said.

When the silicon comes into contact with light, chemical reactions create energy. The challenge is directing that current in the most efficient way possible. In this case, they're lining up tiny particles of silver and gold.

By using silver and gold nanoparticles to create a minuscule but effective wire to transmit energy, the scientists and students could produce a much more versatile photovoltaic panel.

"We either take technology forward or we are left behind. We are trailblazers in that way," Mr. Babu said. "Our competitors at other universities are all focusing on this, and in the end the best technologies will win out. That's why Congress and corporations are investing so much."

The project is set to receive $2 million in a defense bill passed by the House of Representatives. Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, helped steer the funding through the House Armed Services Committee, of which he is a senior member.

Four corporations have invested nearly $500,000 in the technology.

"Improved solar cells to power military communications equipment and other electronic applications will replace heavy battery packs that degrade unit mobility and generators, whose heat signatures reveal troop locations," said a release sent out by the congressman's office.

The goal is to create a portable, efficient solar cell that could be incorporated into everything from a soldier's tent to your home's window blinds — or even woven into fabrics.

Along with eight other professors, Mr. Babu recently visited the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass., to learn about defense needs. They learned that the average soldier carries more than 100 pounds of equipment, which includes GPS, night-vision and radio equipment — all requiring large battery packs.

"If soldiers could get a solar array included somehow to recharge their battery as they're walking, they'll move faster and quicker for longer distances," said Robert H. Wood Jr., director of government relations at Clarkson.

Small solar panels also could be enhanced to perform in a variety of environments, in the desert or in the rain, Mr. Babu said.

It's a field that will grow even larger as more and more people call for alternative energy sources, Mr. Babu said.

"Our students will be the future engineers and scientists, and there's a lot of excitement at the student level for alternative energy. They benefit from learning about that," Mr. Babu said.