See-through solar panels could power offices, homes

New transparent solar glass created by researchers at Michigan State University back in 2015 can potentially collect as much solar power as current traditional rooftop modules, changing the future of solar energy as we know it.

Thin, see-through, plastic-like material was developed to act as an energy-generating coating on windows, and provide additional power when coupled with a rooftop solar installation. The see-through panels could even be used to power offices, according to a report published by sciencemag.org.

“They've been on the market for years. But many of these windows absorb some visible light, leaving them with a reddish or brownish hue, a trait frowned on by architects. Now, new versions are on the way that absorb invisible ultraviolet (UV) and infrared light, allowing visible light to pass through,” the online magazine said.

The technology works by utilizing organic molecules within the transparent film that absorb ultraviolet and infrared light waves and converts them into electricity by directing these light waves to small photovoltaic cells at the edge of the screen, while letting visible light through.

Michigan State researches reported that the technology is currently recording energy efficiencies of more than 10 percent, while efficiency of traditional solar panels ranges between 15 percent and 18 percent.

Scientists have estimated that up to 7 billion square meters of glass surface in the United States could be covered by the new material, with the potential of supplying 40 percent of energy demand in the country.

"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," said Richard Lunt, Michigan State University professor of chemical engineering and materials science and developer.

"The large-scale deployment necessary to offset global energy consumption could be further accelerated by developing fully invisible solar cells that selectively absorb ultraviolet and near-infrared light, allowing many of the surfaces of our built environment to be turned into solar harvesting arrays without impacting the function or aesthetics," he wrote in  Nature Energy magazine, a peer-reviewed science publication.