Transparent solar panels could be the windows of the future

No thanks to Microsoft, the word “Windows” tend to invoke one of two things – a computer’s operating system, or the literal meaning of that transparent glass which you see occupy buildings and homes. Well, here is a way to have windows power your Windows, thanks to a group of researchers over at UCLA who have managed to come up with a mostly-transparent “high-performance solar cell. This will definitely pave the way for future architects to incorporate skylights in a building that is capable of generating electricity throughout the day – as long as there is adequate sunlight, of course.

This “high-performance solar cell” that is mostly transparent, and will come with a 4% efficiency rating, which does sound relative low at first, but it is enough to place it within commercially-viable efficiency levels. The panels will be able to absorb solar energy that are within the near-infrared spectrum, and yet allowing up to 66% of the light in the visible wavelengths used by humans to see to pass through so that you won’t end up in a completely dark room. Hopefully future iterations will be able to see the efficiency level increase to an even greater level.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Green
Tags: Solar