Power-Generating Glass Windows Almost Ready For Market

By Earth Techling on May 24, 2013 at 4:00 PM
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The technology needed to turn windows, any type of glass window, into transparent power plants is almost ready for commercial production. New Energy Technologies, Inc. developer of spray-on solar cells recently announced that its researchers have successfully achieved faster fabrication time, improved transparency, and a two-fold increase in power conversion efficiency.

The new breakthrough means the technology has progressed into advanced development, and large-scale fabrication of mini-module SolarWindow devices may not be that far behind.

Turning see-through windows into full-time solar panels is no easy feat. NET’s method allows researchers to spray ultra-small, see-through solar cells on to glass surfaces.

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The recent progress has boosted power conversion efficiency of each individual cell by two-fold compared to previous fabrication methods, leading to overall power output improvement of SolarWindow; reduced fabrication time from several days down to only a few hours, or 1/6th of the time normally required; and Improved the transparency or ‘visual light transmission’ of SolarWindow modules, creating a widow ‘tint’ effect.

More specifically, the team at NET has become more adept at creating clean layers of spray-on solar technology, among other functions, the various layers allow the glass to absorb the sun’s energy, generate electricity, and direct the electricity for collection and use.

“This latest breakthrough is an exciting testament to our ongoing efforts as we continuously work to improve the quality and performance of our SolarWindow mini-modules,” explained Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “Moving forward, we remain devoutly focused on producing large surface area prototypes which are compatible with high-speed production methods, important to commercialization of SolarWindow.

To do so would turn every new high-rise and residential home into a solar power plant, without the installation or maintenance of roof-top panels, so we wish them nothing but success!

Beth Buczynski, May 22, 2013 via Earth Techling

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Comments

  • UnionLeague

    This technology can best be used in the spandrel glass of highrise office towers, where transparency is not even an issue. Next step, apply the technology to vision glass. Buildings will consume fewer and fewer KW and BTUs of utility power to operate.

  • martae

    Where are the numbers? How many watts per meter, when the window is in perpendicular to the surface direct sunlight? Remember windows are almost never pointed in the direction that would give you the maximum energy per day. Windows on the north side are almost never hit by direct sunlight, and then nowhere near perpendicular.

  • getting closer and close to mass consumption of solar on an affordable scale…

  • David Andrews

    Put on cars windows and painted surface. Organic how long does it last

  • Ferd Roseboom

    Yet another GREAT IDEA but IMPRACTICAL. Last time I looked, we hadn’t quite run out of rooftops. Let’s first achieve affordable high-efficiency (50%) solar for rooftops, deserts and wasteland before we attempt window, tile or pavement solar.

  • Jim Bruce

    I’m with Marte…like to see the numbers on this one. The solution is only practical if the energy generated is greater than what is lost from having so much glass in the building. Might be a net saving to have buildings with much less glass. Interesting quote in January’s Scientific American..”The most important way to speed up the gradual transition to renewables is to lower the overall energy use through efficiency gains. The
    further global demand rises, the more difficult it is to supply a large
    fraction of it.” Smail, V. “Renewable Energy Sources Take the
    World by Storm” in Scientific American. January 2014 p.56