In another positive step for clean energy, emerging company New Energy Technologies, Inc. says it’s almost ready to commercially produce windows that generate solar power. It is currently being tested on commercial buildings and homes.
The method used to create SolarWindow devices involves spraying tiny, see-through solar cells onto glass surfaces, which then absorb energy from the sun, generate electricity, and direct it for collection and use within the building.
It has been a difficult task to achieve any sort of decent solar efficiency that would make it worth it for customers, but recent breakthroughs have doubled the efficiency of each cell. The fabrication time has also been cut from several days to only a few hours.
It sure would be amazing to see an entire apartment complex or residential home working as its own solar power plant, without a single rooftop panel. There isn’t any word yet on how much a window like this will cost, or exactly how much energy each one will provide, but once researchers hit a sweet spot, something like this could certainly be a hot item for new building developers.
What would you prefer – solar windows or rooftop panels? Both?
Image: New Energy Technologies, Inc: Dr. Scott Hammond, Principal Scientist with a SolarWindow.
64 comments… add one