How can you add solar power generation to a
building without it being visible? You use transparent panels of solar cells positioned
over each window.
According to Richard Lunt, the Johansen Crosby
Endowed Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at
MSU, it could replace rooftop solar:
“We analyzed their potential and show that by
harvesting only invisible light, these devices can provide a similar
electricity-generation potential as rooftop solar while providing additional
functionality to enhance the efficiency of buildings, automobiles and mobile
electronics.”
The benefits of transparent solar are clear
(sorry!). Adding a transparent panel over an existing window is easier than
installing a frame and heavy panels on a roof. It looks better because it's an
almost invisible system, and if something goes wrong with a panel then the
replacement will likely be something the homeowner can carry out without help.
Each panel is a transparent luminescent solar
concentrator constructed from plastic-like material containing organic
molecules developed by the team at MSU. They absorb non-visible wavelengths of
sunlight which get passed to very thin photovoltaic strips at the edge of the
panel and generate energy.
Transparent solar isn't new, but the best on
the market today are colored as opposed to completely transparent and have a
conversion efficiency of seven percent. MSU's transparent panels achieve above
five percent efficiency, and while they'll never match non-transparent panels,
they can be used in many more places. So what they lose in efficiency they can
make up for in coverage.
Now imagine those transparent panels added to
every sheet of glass in a skyscraper, and every home or car window, and you can
see the potential for invisible energy generation. MSU is also keen to point
out any screen we use could also employ this solar tech, including the
smartphones we all carry around.
Where can I order some ?
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