Light energy has been used since the beginnings of time. Typically, light is more than just light. In our current state of technology light is a partner with heat. You cannot have one without the other. It is protection, warmth, cooking, electricity and much more. Obviously our own Sun is the largest and closest light and clean energy source we can reach. Unfortunately, we must wait for it to reach out to us and capture what we can.
After years of researching and witnessing “new” ways of harvesting light energy (and watching so many fail due too much or too little money) It’s great to see some technological jumps happening.
June, 2013; The MIT Energy Initiative created a transparent photovoltaic panel. A solar cell you can see through. This isn’t just any cell. THIS cell is not only transparent but, can also harvest energy from any light source; natural, artificial, large or small. The initial focus was for use on small devices such as phones and tablets. Installing the technology on the screens of these devices would supplement the battery life and cut down on “plug in” recharging.
August, 2014; A team of researchers at Michigan State University develops a new type of solar concentrator with a much higher goal in mind. Besides making the cells as optically transparent and colorless as possible, the researchers have specifically worked on flexibility of use. Their sights are set on being able to expand the scale of this technology to be used by commercial and industrial sectors at an affordable price.
May, 2015; Ubiquitous Energy, inc. unveils its “Clearview Power” technology at Display Week 2015 (the Society for Information Display’s international symposium and exhibition).
Presented as “a fully transparent film that covers a device’s display area”. Ubiquitous claims the ClearView Power technology allows the light that is visible to the human eye to pass through the film while selectively capturing and converting ultraviolet and near-infrared light into electricity to power a device and extend its battery life. They also go on to state; “ClearView Power is the first truly transparent solar technology that can overlay the surface of an electronic display without affecting device performance or display clarity”.
What are the dirty details of the technology? The energy efficiency of these transparent energy collectors started at only 1%. To date, the “best” we can find is 7%. It’s billed as “affordable” but, no one is offering true numbers and we’re left with the old question of “affordable to whom”?
As with all progressing technology, the hype and generation of interest is what will make or break how fast progress is made. More interest equals more money and money makes the world go ‘round. On a more positive note; let your imagination run wild for a moment. This is yet another technology that has zero limits in its use once the efficiency problems are solved. Wireless devices, home and industrial windows, the auto industry… anywhere we use plastics or glass can be an energy collection point. This technology could cut our fossil fuel usage by half in less than 20 years.
This article (Transparent solar panels let the light shine in) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a “creative commons” license with attribution to the author and www.Anonhq.com
Bibliography
State, M. (2014, August 19). Solar energy that doesn’t block the view
Stauffer, N. W., & Initiative, M. E. (2041, June 20). Transparent solar cells.
