Transparent, color solar cells fuse energy, beauty

[n2doc]

ANN ARBOR—Colorful, see-through solar cells invented at the University of Michigan could one day be used to make stained-glass windows, decorations and even shades that turn the sun's energy into electricity.

The cells, believed to be the first semi-transparent, colored photovoltaics, have the potential to vastly broaden the use of the energy source, says Jay Guo, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, mechanical engineering, and macromolecular science and engineering at U-M. Guo is lead author of a paper about the work newly published online in Scientific Reports.

"I think this offers a very different way of utilizing solar technology rather than concentrating it in a small area," he said. "Today, solar panels are black and the only place you can put them on a building is the rooftop. And the rooftop of a typical high-rise is so tiny.

"We think we can make solar panels more beautiful—any color a designer wants. And we can vastly deploy these panels, even indoors."

more

http://ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/videos/22020-transparent-color-solar-cells-fuse-energy-beauty

[JimDandy]

1. So the only colors available are red, blue and green

and the panels are just 10% efficient. Since the colors are viewable at any angle, it sounds like the best use for these panels would be for billboards, signs etc. Excellent idea that needs more work.

[ElboRuum]

2. Ultimately,

...though, it's good they are thinking in this direction. The success of solar power will lie in its ubiquity and in its unobtrusiveness, both to the environment at large, but also in the environment that is our lives. The idea that a design, an emblem, or really, anything meant to be otherwise decorative could be double purposed as a power source is likely to be part of the end result of ubiquity and unobtrusiveness. It allows solar to hide itself in plain sight and blend in with the surroundings.

[JimDandy]

3. Very good points. n/t