A new concept in transparent solar panels generating electricity has surfaced into window glass panels. This will save lots of space in installing normal solar panels on buildings and generating more power for buildings or adding power to a major electrical grid system.
Bob Larson
Several universities including Michigan State University (MSU), UC Santa Barbara, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been working on transparent solar panel prototypes since 2014. Vendors now include Ubiquitous Power of USA, Next Energy Technologies of USA, Amerisolor of USA, Onyx Solar of Spain, Polysolar of UK, and other worldwide vendors.
Ubiquitous Energy award-winning technology developed by the company co-founders at MIT and MSU has designed the solar windows to selectively transmit light visible to the human eye while absorbing only the ultraviolet and infrared light and converting it into electricity. Two thirds of the light available for energy harvesting is in the ultraviolet and the infrared, leading to practical efficiencies over 10% while maintaining up to 90% visible transparency.
The benefits of adding the transparent solar windows would be significant. The windows in a skyscraper would provide a vast area directly exposed to the sunlight. The research indicates all those transparent solar windows could fulfill more than a quarter of all the electricity needs of any building. Moreover, the solar cells would block much of the infrared radiation, a large part of the sunlight that heats up a room. That effect could cut down on air conditioning needs, further reducing energy use and operating costs in the building. And those benefits would be gained without modifying the look of the building or obstructing views for the occupants.
This is another great use of technology in making our planet more efficient.
~ Bob Larson is a technologist and Marketing Director for 50 Plus.